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PRACTICAL HINTS 



CAMPING 



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HOWARD HENDERSON. 



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OCT SO]8;82: 

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CHICAGO: 

JANSEN, McCLURG AND COMPANY. 

1882. 



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Copyright, 1882, 
By HOWARD HENDERSON. 



[ KHIGHT & LEONARD .HI 



TO 

GEORGE VAN ZANDT, 

MY STEADFAST FRIEND. 



PEEFACE. 



THE camper has of late years occupied a distinctive 
position by the side of the hunter, the angler and 
the canoeist. Each summer adds to the number of 
those who, without being expert in the arts of the 
sportsman, go out for the mere pleasure of camping. 
Even ladies and children penetrate the depths of our 
forests, share in the genial glow of the camp-fire, and 
enhance the pleasure of a woodland life by their pres- 
ence. The lover of nature, the artist, the sportsman 
and the naturalist, each find occupation, amusement 
and rest. 

The aim in writing this little work has been to give 
concisely some practical hints sufficient for guidance, 
which can be acted upon according to the length of 
the purse and the degree of one's enthusiasm. Whether 
the reader's tent be pitched upon the seashore, 
beside a mountain brook, or upon the rolling prairie, 
it is hoped that something may be found in the fol- 
lowing pages which will add to his comfort and his 
pleasure. 

For the kindness of authors and publishers in allow- 
ing extracts to be taken from their works, for which 
.credit will be found elsewhere, thanks are due. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Preparation . . . ... 9 

CHAPTER II. 

Outfit . . .... 16 

CHAPTER III. 

Shelter ........ 27 

CHAPTER IV. 

General Directions ..... 39 

CHAPTER V. 
Knots and Ties . . . . . 48 

CHAPTER VI. 

Camp Cooking- . ... 57 

7 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Rod and Line ... 71 

CHAPTER VIII. 

How to Make a Fish Net and Hammock . 87 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Horse-hair Fish Line ... 96 

CHAPTER X. 

The Gun . . . . . . ,107 

CHAPTER XL 

Boats and Boating . . . . . 115 

CHAPTER XII. 

Night Spearing . . . . . . 118 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Accidents and Ailments .... 123 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Camp Photography . 135 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



CHAPTER I. 



PREPARATION. 



A RECENT writer has well said that the genuine 
camper divides the year by the 1st of January. 
Up to that time his talk is all about the last camp he 
had, and after that it is all of the next camp. The old 
adage "Seize time by the forelock, for he is bald 
behind," applies' as well to pleasure as to business. 
Double is the enjoyment to the lover of woodland life 
if he knows weeks ahead just when, and just where, he 
is going to spend his vacation. Nor can he too early 
in ±he season look over and perfect his kit. Many an 
hour's dearly bought pleasure has been marred by 
simply not preparing in time. The camper should 
always bear in mind that homely phrase, and " get a 
good ready." Make out a full inventory of all you 
have on hand which you may want for the next vaca- 
tion. Put down everything ; not only usual cooking 
utensils, clothing, tent, and fishing tackle, but also the 
little odds and ends of things, such as a chain, a hook, 



10 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

a piece of wire, etc. Often these little trifles prove a 
most valuable part of your inventory. Put down each 
article in a line by itself. Do not jumble three or four 
items together. Having completed your inventory, 
make out a supplementary inventory of all those things 
which past experience has taught you the necessity of, 
or which you think you require, and you have not 
already on your list. Leave nothing to memory ; put 
every article down. Next read everything you can find 
referring to camping ; and especially is this important 
if you are a novice, for good camping is an art to be 
acquired only by experience and careful attention to 
every detail. One man will have twice the comfort, 
twice the pleasure, and at one-half the expense, that 
another man will, simply by knowing how to camp. 
As you read, make notes, and add to your supplemen- 
tary inventory such articles as you find you have over- 
looked. 

Examine your lists carefully and strike out every- 
thing you think you can get along without. Simplicity 
should be your constant aim. Dispense with all the 
requirements of city life as far as possible. If you are 
inexperienced, you probably will find after one or two 
seasons out, that of the articles you took with you into 
the woods the first time, you could have left two-thirds 
of them at home, and still have been very well pro- 
vided. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 11 

While accumulating information, decide how you are 
going to cany your things. Much of your stuff can be 
packed as well at once as later. Often the first care of 
an old camper after his return, is to put everything in 
order for the next season. Every article relating to 
camp life, except perhaps clothing, should be kept by 
itself. How to pack is a problem each must settle for 
himself. Boxes with hinged covers will be found very 
useful, though perhaps good strong trunks are better 
than anything else. They are more easily handled in 
camp, and go as personal baggage en route; thus obvi- 
ating the necessity, at times, of sending part of your kit 
ahead by freight. You will find it convenient to know 
the weight of each piece of baggage, and it will assist 
you in -making future plans. 

Travel as light as possible, but be sure you have 
sufficient clothing and bedding to keep warm. A 
heavy double blanket, and two rubber blankets, one be- 
neath you and one over you, will generally be found 
sufficient for the night. Besides usual clothing you 
should have one set of light summer, and one set of 
heavy winter underwear. A light flannel wrapper, or 
vest, should always be worn. 

Provisions should be packed entirely by themselves. 
Do not undertake to do it yourself, even for small 
purchases. Go to some large grocery house, and their 
packer will put up your things neater and better than 



12 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

you can. They will furnish a suitable box, and see 
that it is properly marked. You can also generally 
obtain from them a printed price-list which you will 
find advantageous in helping you decide what you 
want. But — beware — take care — make it a condition 
precedent to your purchase that you are to oversee the 
wrapping up of every package, and to check off your- 
self every article as it is put in the box. Be not 
deceived by any assurances whatever. This is im- 
portant, and something you must attend to yourself. 
It is no slight' matter to be from ten to forty miles 
from a settlement and find you are minus the fish- 
sauce, or that the pepper or salt has been forgotten. 
Have everything double wrapped. Better still, use 
small bags. Coin bags of different sizes, such as 
bankers use, will be found for many things very con- 
venient. Do not forget to ask for an old meal bag. 
It is one of the most serviceable articles in camp. 
Take a bill of your purchases, and examine it carefully 
and preserve it. Old grocery bills are frequently 
valuable to refer to. 

Provisions can be left to the last, but all other pur- 
chases should have been completed days before. Allow 
ample time for every preparation. Do not fly around 
.town the last morning like a decapitated hen. You 
will find enough to annoy one in camp ; and you 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 13 

should start out as calmly and quietly as you go 
down to your business. 

A cheap flexible blank book, which can be carried 
in the side«poeket, will be found very convenient. It 
should be of about twenty-four pages, the ruling nar- 
row, and the page wide. Such a book which came 
under our notice was filled out as follows : 

INVENTORY OF ARTICLES BELONGING TO A. B. 



CLOTHING. 



CAMP EQUIPAGE. 



HUNTING OUTFIT. 



FISHING TACKLE. 



Under this last head were enumerated the different 
lines, giving size and length of each, the number of 
hooks and their sizes ; the number of flies, giving the 
kind, size, color and price of each, etc., etc. 



MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. 



PRIVATE EXPENSE ACCOUNT. 



EXPENSES IN COMMON. 



Memorand- 



um. 



Left on a camping expedition 188 — 

at o'clock -m., via . Party numbers 

as follows : . Reached camp at o'clock 



14 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

-m., on the clay of , 188-. Broke camp 

; . Reached home , 188-. Time 



absent . Total cost of trip, 8 ■ 

NOTES. # 

Here follow various entries ; such as notes of travel, 
observations, practical hints, a running diary of the 
trip, etc. 

Such a book, by properly checking off the inventory, 
may last for two or three seasons ; or if preferred you 
can get a new one each year for a few cents, and thus 
have an interesting volume relating to each expedition. 

Avoid dressing "loud." Buy a cheap suit, or better 
still, wear your old clothes. Dark colors are pre- 
ferable, being less liable to attract the attention of 
game, and easier to take care of. Rubber' boots, ex- 
cept for ladies, are not recommended. For rubber 
blankets take the government poncho. It will be 
found very convenient. A rubber coat is very service- 
able at times, but is not indispensable. Boots should 
be very easy, and take along an old pair of slippers. 
A hammock will be found enjoyable. A cheap one 
will do, but do not take the smallest adult size ; it is 
not quite large enough for real comfort. 

Be sure you take with you a large stock of patience 
and good nature. Camping out tests the character. 
A good camper accommodates himself to circum- 
stances, and is too much of a philosopher to con- 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 15. 

descend to quarrel. Make no rules, if you can 
avoid it, and break none. that are made. If you are 
appointed a leader, shift the office upon the shoulders 
of another man if you can ; and if not, then govern by 
tact and quiet influence, rather than by arbitrary regu- 
lations. 



CHAPTER II. 



OUTFIT. 



WHAT to take in the woods is a question to which 
a definite answer cannot be given. Much de- 
pends upon the size and character of your party, where 
and how you are going, how long you expect to remain, 
and whether you are going to a new place, or to some 
spot with which you are perfectly familiar. The 
great danger is in carrying too much. You should 
have an ample supply of blankets and plain food. 
You require two entire suits of clothing : one suitable 
for traveling and for general use when not in the woods, 
and one for exclusive use in camp. Upon reaching 
camp your traveling suit should be folded and packed 
away. 

In regard to provisions, make out a list of what you 
propose to take, including tea, coffee, and a few delica- 
cies, then ascertain the total number of pounds in the 
list. It is safe to estimate that you will require in camp 
two and a half to three pounds per day to each adult. 
This includes everything. 

If you are not going too far from the confines of 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 17 

civilization, many tilings can be purchased near your 
camp ; and if you are an experienced sportsman, some 
allowance may be made for what you can obtain from 
your own efforts. 

Do not use your condensed soups and canned meats 
too freely at first. In case of extended trips away from 
the camp, you will find them convenient to rely upon. 
Wallace in his lt Guide to the Adirondacks," says : 
"Care should be taken to have the outfit light and 
simple. Don't take too much, and be sure to leave 
the fancy articles at home. The comfort of the tourist, 
and especially that of the guide, will be most readily 
promoted by adhering strictly to this rule. We will 
name what we consider the essentials : Pair of heavy 
flannel shirts. Stout woolen pantaloons, coat and vest. 
Pair-of overalls, for night use. Soft felt hat, light color. 
Two pairs of woolen stockings. Pair of heavy calf-skin 
or French kip-skin boots, with thick soles and broad 
heels, one size larger than you usually wear. Balmo- 
ral shoes ; high cut are better, perhaps, as they sup- 
port the ankles, and serve to prevent their being 
sprained. Pair of stout camp (carpet) slippers. Rubber 
blanket or coat, indispensable. Heavy woolen shawl, 
or a pair of Indian blankets. A bag is a useful substi- 
tute for blankets. It should be made of Canton flannel, 
or what is preferable, woolen cloth, as it will be less 
likely to ignite when exposed to fire. It should be 
about six feet long, and two and a half or three feet 
wide. We have seen ordinary grain bags used for 
that purpose, but they afford too contracted a space. 



18 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

Such a bag can be converted into a knapsack. A pair 
of light buckskin gauntlets, sufficiently long to button 
around the elbows. A pair of mits made of long cotton 
stocking legs will answer as a substitute. Hunting 
knife and belt. Pint tin cup. Colored silk handker- 
chief. Head net — a protector from insects. A piece 
of Swiss mull three or four yards square, will be found 
of great service, using it as a sort of 'coverlid,' or 
placing it snugly against the doorway, having previ- 
ously expelled the insects from the lodge by a thorough 
smudge. Towels, soap, pins, needles, thread, writing 
paper, envelopes, postage stamps, pencils, etc., in lim- 
ited quantities. Hospital stores, including bandages, 
lint,* ointment, camphor, aqua-ammonia, soda, cholera 
drops, rhubarb, insect preparation, etc., to use in case 
of emergency. All the articles enumerated, with the 
exception of the blankets (which may be strapped out- 
side) can be packed in a common enameled double 
satchel." 

We give the following lists for guidance, but it is not 
expected that everything mentioned below is to be taken 
into the woods. Use judgment, and make out your 
own list. This should not be delayed till the last clay, 
as your list may be subject to many alterations : 

* "Bleeding from a wound on man or beast may be stopped by a mixture of 
wheat flour and common salt, in equal parts, bound on with a cloth. If the 
bleeding be profuse, use a large quantity, say from one to three pints. It may 
be left on for hours, or even days, if necessary." 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



19 



GENTLEMAN'S OUTFIT. 



Two suits of clothes, 
Two light wrappers, 
One winter wrapper, 
Two pairs of light drawers, 
One pair of winter drawers, 
Two flannel shirts, 
Bathing suit or trunks, 
Two pairs of soft woolen socks, 
Two pairs of light socks for trav- 
eling, 
Collars and cuffs, 
A white shirt or two, 
A large scarf, 
One pair of hoots, 
One pair of shoes, 
One pair of slippers, 
Overcoat, 

Rubber overcoat, or poncho, 
Felt hat, 
Toilet soap, 
Towels, 
Comb, 

Tooth brush, 
Small looking-glass, 
Folding drinking cup. 



Pipes and tobacco, 

Matches, 

Medicine, 

Raw cotton for cuts and wounds, 

Insect preventive, 

Maps, 

Pocket flask, 

Guide-book, 

Compass, 

Stamps and stamped envelopes, 

Plain envelopes, 

Postal cards, 

Lead pencils, 

Aniline pencil or pen, 

Pens, ink, paper, 

Strong pocket knife, 

Blacking and brush, 

Clothes brush, 

Wisp broom, 

Portfolio, 

Small size Bible, 

Money, 

Watch and key, 

Whistle. 



LADY'S OUTFIT. 



Look over the gentleman's list, and in addition to 
the articles mentioned there which yon may require, 
the following are suggested : 



Traveling dress, 

Short walking dress,dark flannel, 

Flannel underclothing, 

Soft felt hat, 

Heavy soled boots (easy), 



Flannel night-dress (very conven- 
ient for cold weather), 

Thick, strong gloves, 

Gauntlets reaching to the elbow 
to protect from insects, 



20 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



Rubber overshoes, Air pillow, 

Rubber boots, Toilet articles, 

Light rubber waterproof and cap, Shawl. 
Warm waterproof. 



KITCHEN UTENSILS AND TABLE SERVICE. 



,> Two frying pans, x 

Iron kettle, or large tin pail with 
lid. 

Stew pan with cover, 

Coffee pot (better with a lip and 
bail), 

Small tin pails, 

Kitchen knife, 

Large fork with long handle, 

Knives and forks, 

Table spoons, 

Tea spoons, 
_ Two can openers. 



Half-pint tin cups, one for each 
person, and one or two extra, 

Deep tin pans for baking, 

Tin plates for all, and three or 
four extra, 

Several large iron spoons with 
long handles, 

Dipper, 

Dish cloths, 

Tea towels, • 

Camp stove, 

Soap. 



MISCELLANEOUS LIST. 



Axe, 

Hatchet, 

Hooks, 

Nails, 

Tacks, 

Screws, 

Screw drivers, 

File, 

Awl, 

Saw, 

Piece of light copper wire, 

Spade, 

Chalk, 

Fishing tackle, 

Rifle,- 

Shot gun, 

Ammunition, 



Padlock with two keys, 

Chain for boat," 

Chain for fireplace, 

Camp chairs, 

Folding cot-bed, 

Tent, 

Tent poles, 

Tent pins, 

Hammock, 

Rope, 

Stout twine, 

Ponchos, 

Boat, 

Canvas boat, 

Lantern and oil, 

Wicks, 

Candles, 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



21 



Blankets, 

Needles, 

Sail needles, 

Thread, 

Pins, 

Waxed-ends, 

Pieces of leather, 

Neat's foot oil. 



Matches, 

Large sponge for boat, 

Patent clothes pins, 

Corkscrew, 

Meal bag, 

Small scales, 

Shawl strap. 



PROVISIONS. 



Coffee, 

Tea, 

Chocolate, 

Extract of Cocoa, 

Beans, 

Rice, 

Oatmeal, 

Corn meal, 

Flour (self rising, the best), 

Crackers, 

Ginger snaps, 

Hard tack, 

Cheese, 

Butter, 

Lard, 

Bacon, 

Salt pork, 

Herrings, 

Mixed pickles, 

Chow chow, 

Dried fruits, 

Vinegar, 

Mustard, 

Salt (small bag), 

Pepper, 

Granulated sugar, 

Flavoring extracts, 

Baking powder, 

Yeast. 



Soda, 

Fish sauce, 
Currie, 
Olive oil, 
Figs, 
Macaroni, 

(canned goods). 
Lunch ham, 
Boned chicken, 
Boned turkey, 
Curried fowl, 
Cooked corn beef, 
Roast beef, 
Lobster, 
Clam chowder, 
Fish, 

Tomatoes, 
Peas, 
Beans,- 
Jellies, 

Vermicelli soup, 
Julien soup, 
Beef soup, 
Macaroni soup, 
Mock turtle soup, 
Extract Of beef, 
Sardines, < 
Condensed milk. 



22 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

See also list and directions in Mr. Gould's work 
entitled "How to Camp Out." 

Two to three tin pails, of from two to three quarts in 
size, will be found very useful. They should be of 
different sizes, so that one can fit into the other ; this 
is convenient, not only for packing, but also for cook- 
ing certain dishes. 

For frying we prefer the old heavy iron pan, although 
the handle is much shorter and more inconvenient than 
that of a thin pan. It would be well to take one of 
each kind. 

Do not forget to take plenty of small change. 

In regard to provisions, always buy the best of every- 
thing. 

Campers should not neglect to take a small supply 
of medicines, such as quinine, laudanum, essence of 
ginger, camphor, paregoric, etc. Coffee should be kept 
in tin cans with tight-fitting covers. It is best to take 
more than one kind of coffee and, perhaps, it would be 
well to have some mixed. If you use self-rising flour 
there will be no need of yeast or baking powder. Boots 
and shoes should be easy, and have inside soles. Use 
button or laced shoes. If you cannot obtain a coffee 
pot with a lip, have the spout riveted on, as it is very 
likely to become unsoldered over a camp fire. Gaunt- 
lets are often almost indispensable, as some insects work 
themselves up under the shirt sleeves and cause intense 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 23 

annoyance. Mosquitoes, black flies, gnats, no-see-ums, 
etc., abound in many portions of the country. These 
insects come on in the early spring and follow each 
other in regular order. By the last of July they are 
generally gone, and therefore July, August and Sep- 
tember are favorite months for camping, though not 
the best for hunting and fishing. So great is this an- 
noyance from insects at times, that, unless provided 
against, you are likely to be driven out of the woods 
entirely. 

The most certain insect preventive, and one in great 
favor with lumbermen, is a mixture of sweet oil and oil 
of tar; one-fourth of the oil of tar to three-fourths of 
sweet oil. This we have found effectual. Pour a 
quantity into the palm of the hand, and rub the hands 
and arms with it thoroughly. Then, in the same way, 
apply very freely to the face, neck and ears. A slight 
application with tire tips of the fingers will not suffice. 
It must be used freely, and will then keep off insects 
for hours. If this mixture does not work satisfactorily, 
add a little more of the tar. It is easily washed off, 
and the tar will keep the skin soft. The odor of tar, 
is, however, objectionable to many, especially ladies, 
and we therefore add two receipts which Mr. Wallace 
vouches for as being "perfectly effective." 

(1.) "One-half ounce of oil of pennyroyal poured 
into three ounces of melted mutton tallow. Lard is 



24 PRACTICAL BINTS ON CAMPING. 

sometimes used, but it is too soft, and is not as 
healing." 

(2.) "Six ounces mutton tallow, two ounces cam- 
phor, two ounces pennyroyal, one-half ounce creosote 
(or carbolic acid solution)." 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



25 




THE A TENT- 




THE. WALL TENT. 



CHAPTEE III. 



SHELTER. 



USE tents for camping. Avoid a hut or shanty, 
and never sleep in a house, except from neces- 
sity. This rule applies to ladies and children, provided 
they are not very delicate. 

The value of the open air, for the night as well as the 
clay, is becoming more and more appreciated. It is a 
great mistake to think that only men of strong consti- 
tutions can stand sleeping in the woods. " A recent 
experiment has shown that during an epidemic, children 
and adults who were placed in tents, recovered more 
rapidly, and there was less loss of life among them than 
among those who remained in their own homes. It is 
surprising how well nature will take care of you if you 
will only let her alone. Many a one who toils on from 
day to day, with weary body, and imagines himself over- 
worked, would feel as fresh and elastic as a boy if he 
would only sleep with his window wide open at night. 
Not open a little crack so as to create a draft, but wide 
open so as to prevent a draft and have plenty of fresh 
air. 

27 



28 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

Shelter means protection, and whether your walls 
are twelve inches thick, or the twentieth part of an 
inch, makes no difference, provided the end sought for 
is accomplished. In the Adirondacks, and many places 
in the West, old houses and shanties, built by guides 
and campers, can be found. You are welcome to use 
them if not already occupied ; but our advice is, to 
avoid them. Not being in constant use they are often 
filled with wood vermin, and the timber in them is 
gradually rotting away, and, combined with the damp- 
ness, apt to engender malaria. 

The best shelter you can obtain, is that of the ordi- 
nary tent. The tents appropriate to your use are the 
A tent and the wall tent. 

It will be seen by reference to the illustrations, that 
the wall tent is an improvement upon the A tent. The 
difference is great. The space is better economized. 
It is far more comfortable ; you can dispose of your 
stuff to better advantage, and you do not have to stand 
directly on the center line in dressing to avoid strik- 
ing against the sides, a matter frequently of importance 
during a heavy rain. A small wall tent is preferable 
to a large A tent. 

The size of the tent depends upon the use you intend 
to put it to. Take as small a one as will answer with 
comfort, first, on account of weight, and second, be- 
cause it is easier to manage. If the party is large, two 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. ^ 




A TEMPORARY BARK SHELTER. 




CONSTRUCTION OF A BRUSH HOUSE. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 31 

small tents are better than one large one. A wall tent 
7 by 9 feet will amply accommodate three with cots, and 
four without cots. 

It will be found very convenient to have a small A 
tent in which to store luggage and provisions. A tent 
for cooking is not necessary: you are more likely to 
burn up your tent than to cook your dinner. If it 
storms so that you positively cannot cook (we never 
met with such an occurrence), why then eat crackers 
and make fish lines, and donH growl. The man who 
cannot take things philosophically in camp, had better 
stay at home, and sit in the parlor. 

You need not take any tent. * The writer has passed 
three weeks in the Adirondacks, with a companion, 
and the whole tent outfit taken into the woods con- 
sisted of a piece of strong twine about twelve feet long, 
and three government ponchos. The weather at times 
was stormy, but we both kept dry, and neither of us 
took a cold. 

A brush house can be made as follows : cut stakes 
about eight feet long ; drive them into the ground as 
indicated in the illustration. 

Fill in between your stakes with brush. Stamp it 
down and trim the sides. Cut fonr forked sticks to 



*Mr. Charles Hallock, in his admirable work, "The Fishing Tourist," says: "I 
have slept out three months at a time, and have never used a canvas tent in my 
life. One who knows how can always make himself comfortable in the woods, 
even in mid-winter."' 1 



32 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

support your ridge pole ; place the riclge pole in posi- 
tion ; throw on the rafters and thatch with fine brush, 
leaves, grass or hay. 

The government poncho makes a good rubber 
blanket, useful in many ways — as a blanket, a wrap, 
a cushion, a bag, a sail, etc. etc. There is a slit in 
the middle, covered by a lapel. In case of rain slip 
the poncho over your head, and you are protected. It 
is very light. Carry one around with you at all times, 
when possible, even if you are off but for a few hours. 
You never know when you may need it most. It pro- 
tects you from sudden changes. If overheated, it is 
convenient as a wrap. If you are chilly put it around 
you, holding it tight at ' the throat, and you will 
soon be warm, for, thin and light as it is, it is air 
proof as well as water-proof. If fatigued from over- 
exertion, throw it on the ground, and lie clown flat on 
your back. An eminent medical authority declares 
that five minutes flat on the back is of more rest to the 
body than an hour in any other position. 

And right here allow a word not strictly pertaining 
to this chapter. When you are resting, rest. Make 
a business of it. Throw all care and worry, of either 
home or camp life, off your mind. Do nothing, say 
nothing, think nothing, be nothing. Recuperate. 

To make a poncho tent, cut two stakes of suitable 
length, with a crotch at one end to hold the ridge pole; 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING, 



33 




PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 35 

cut your ridge-pole and some small stakes or pins. 
You will find plenty of suitable material at hand. 
Drive your two stakes the length of your poncho apart, 
and place your ridge-pole in position, which should be 
a little less in height than the width of a poncho. 
String two ponchos together by means of the eyelet 
holes. Throw them over your ridge-pole — dark side 
out — and fasten tightly by the pins and small pieces 
of string run through the eyelet holes at the side. A 
third poncho protects one end ; the other end is left 
open for air and light. This seems very narrow 
quarters, but they will sleep two comfortably, and 
have been known, by a very slight change, to accom- 
modate three. 

If you estimate your tent accommodations by what , 
you require at home, you w T ill make a mistake. Our 
mode of life grants us far more house room than we 
require. What an exceedingly small room is a state- 
room on any of our boats, and yet it suffices amply for 
more than one on a long voyage. If you want to thor- 
oughly realize how very little room you really need, 
go to an undertaker, and in five minutes he will show 
you in what a small space you can lie comfortably. 

This simple tent has the advantage of water-proof 
sides, is very light, and being in pieces, is easily car- 
ried, and can be made and put up inside of twenty 
minutes. 



36 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

There is much gained by placing two logs parallel 
to each other and setting your poncho tent upon them. 
This gives far more space than appears at first sight. 
If you cannot find logs, use small trees, large stones 
and earth combined. 

Select a cheerful and dry spot for pitching your 
tent. Choose even ground and slightly sloping. If 
you expect to remain in camp any length of time, dig, 
or cut with a hatchet, a small trench around your tent. 
This will prevent the water from higher ground 
around you running into your inclosure. If the trees 
are too thick, make an opening so as to let in the sun- 
shine. Do not thoughtlessly cut down more trees 
than necessary, and in most cases it will be found 
easier to find a sufficiently open spot, than to attempt 
to make one. 

Camp as near to a spring, or running water, as you 
can, even though you are on a lake shore. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



37 




CHAPTEE IT. 

A FEW GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 

AFTER pitching your tent, if you expect to remain 
at the same spot longer than a day or two, you 
cannot do better than to devote the next few hours to 
making your camp as comfortable and pleasant as pos- 
sible. Put everything in order at once. Do not delay, 
thinking you can fix up at any time. It is a good plan 
to stay your tent with extra ropes running from the 
top of the upright poles. Fasten a number of hooks 
to your ridge-pole for hanging your clothing at night. 
If you do not have hooks, you can run a stout line for 
hanging just below the ridge-pole. See what articles 
you expect to retain in the tent and what are to be 
put elsewhere. Select your spot for the camp-fire. If 
your party is large, or if you have ladies with you, 
you had better find a few boards, and make a rough 
table ; a couple of boards running parallel with the 
table will be found more convenient for seats than 
camp chairs. Dig a good-sized hole for a sink, into 
which you can throw refuse from your kitchen, and as 
fast as you throw in anything cover it with a little 



40 PRACTICAL HINTS ON C A 31 PING. 

earth. This will avoid attracting flies and insects. Do 
not leave parings,, old bones and bits from the table 
lying around upon the ground. Have everything clean 
and neat around your camp. See that your fire is at a 
proper distance from your tent and from your table. 
Do not have these so far from each other as to waste 
time in walking back and forth. The table should be 
conveniently near your fire, but not so near as to cause 
annoyance from the smoke. If possible, store your 
provisions outside ot your tent, but see to it that they 
are kept dry. Everything should be well covered. 
Tin cans of all sizes, with tight-fitting covers, will be 
found most serviceable. Some provisions can be kept 
in a bag suspended from the limb of a tree, but the 
bag should be of good thickness to prevent insects 
from penetrating the cloth. 

Unless you camp beside a cool stream, you need a 
cellar, and a very good one can be made by sinking a 
barrel. Cover the top with a piece of mosquito net- 
ting. Meat and fish can be kept fresh for some time 
by being salted and hung in a wet bag where it can get 
the air. Pork can be kept for weeks by putting it in 
a small tub with half a dozen gimlet holes bored in the 
bottom to let off the brine. Cover the pork with 
coarse salt. 

A pantry for your dishes can be made by fitting up 
an old box ; or you can easily arrange two or three 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 41 

rustic shelves by driving four strong stakes, to which 
you nail cross-pieces, and upon these rest short 
straight sticks cut from a small tree. Cover the whole 
with a cloth or netting. In driving stakes, etc., do 
not use the flat side of an axe or hatchet, as it is apt 
to break the handle. 

Have a definite place for toilet duties. Often each 
one of the party will prefer to select his own particular 
washing place, but if this is not done, decide upon some 
general place ; and if you can conveniently carry them, 
it is well before starting to buy several tin wash basins ; 
they are very convenient, although you camp by run- 
ning water. Each one of the party should have his 
own soap and towels. A cake of soap can be kept in 
a little box, around which the towel may be wrapped, 
and placed in some convenient nook. 

You need three clothes-lines. One at the washing 
place for drying towels, one in your kitchen to be used 
exclusively for dish towels, and one on the outside of 
the camp for general washing. 

For hanging kettles, etc., over the fire, drive two 
stout forked stakes to support your cross-stick, or set 
three forked poles. You also need two or three short 
chains, with hooks at the end. 

In the morning open your tent well to air, and if it 
be a clear day, take out your bedding and hang it in 
the sun for an hour; do not leave it on the ground. 



42 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

Unless your tent is very large and your stay pro- 
tracted, it is hardly worth while to have any flooring for 
the tent, and instead of strewing hay or straw which is 
apt to retain moisture, use a plentiful supply of small 
hemlock twigs, which can generally be found without 
much trouble. They make a line green carpet and the 
odor of them is both pleasant and healthful. Cots are 
especially necessary for ladies and children, and will 
add greatly to their comfort and feeling of security. 
But a healthy person can sleep well on dry ground 
with impunity. If you do not use a cot, you should 
have two rubber blankets, one to place on the ground 
right side down, and the other to throw over you. 

It is not advisable to use the hammock for sleeping 
at night, unless it be a canvas hammock hung within 
the tent. 

The plucking of birds, cleaning of fish, etc., should 
be done outside of the camp. Do not eat in your tent 
when it can be avoided. 

Be careful not to waste in cooking simply because 
you have plenty. If, on breaking camp, there is any- 
thing of value left, do not throw it away. A neighbor- 
ing camper or farmer may receive it thankfully. A 
dead Are with a broken fish pole thrown over it, will 
probably be considered as a sign that the camp is aban- 
doned, and the next comer is welcome to take what he 
can find. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 43 

If you are camping in deep woods, you need have 
little fear of anything being stolen by leaving your 
camp unprotected. Strangers, in passing, generally 
respect what is called the ' ' law of the woods. " And if a 
straggling hunter should help himself out of your abun- 
dance, he will be apt to leave something in its place. 

Take with you a small chain and padlock (with two 
keys) for fastening your boat. This will not prevent 
the stealing of the boat, but will prevent borrowing, 
which is almost as inconvenient. 

Bathe frequently, but avoid remaining in the water 
too long, and be careful not to go in when overheated, 
or immediately after great fatigue. Before diving, 
ascertain the character of the bottom. "In fording 
deeply, a heavy stone in the hands, above water, will 
strengthen your position." 

A "smudge" is a small smoky fire, made for driving 
away insects; you must have little fire and plenty of 
smoke. See that it is put entirely out when you are 
through with it, and in all cases be careful not to set 
fire to the woods. Often immense damage is done by 
campers in this way. Where the soil is partly made 
up of vegetable matter, a small fire frequently works 
a long distance along the ground before it breaks out 
so as to be perceptible. 

If you go on a tramp before breakfast, eat something 
first, if it be only a cracker. Avoid taking dainties and 



4i PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

delicacies in camp. You require plain food that can be 
easily cooked. The open air and exercise will give 
a splendid appetite, so that luxuries can be dis- 
pensed with. Coffee is strengthening, and good to 
keep off malaria. Take a little brand)' or good whisky, 
but use it only for medicinal purposes, and be sure then 
you really need it. Liquors of all kinds stimulate, but 
do not strengthen. There is a general impression 
among many that something of the kind is needed in 
camp life, but the best authorities strongly object to 
their use. 

One is not apt to require much medicine in camp. 
It is advisable, however, to take a variety of the most 
simple remedies, but in small quantities. Pills are the 
most convenient. Vials should have the corks tied 
down tightly and are best kept in place by cutting holes 
in a piece of pasteboard, which should be secured to 
short posts glued upon the inside of a small box. 
Medicines should, for convenience, be kept in one 
box by themselves, and each bottle or package plainly 
labeled. 

For the bite of a rattlesnake, whisky taken freely 
seems to be the only antidote. Mr. Joseph W. Long, 
in his work on "Wild Fowl Shooting," says : "As a local 
remedy for acute muscular rheumatism, a mustard 
plaster placed immediately upon the part affected, will, 
in most cases, soon prove effectual." Reference to 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 45 

camp ailments and the usual medicines required, will 
be found in another place. 

Wherever you camp, even for a night, take your 
bearings with your pocket compass, and when making 
any excursion on land do not leave it in the camp, think- 
ing it will not be required. If you lose your way, do 
not get excited, keep cool, stop a moment to think 
how you came, and it is generally best to retrace 
your steps. If you are without a compass, you can be 
guided somewhat by moss, which, being partial to 
shade, is the thickest on the north side of the trees. 
And generally the branches of a tree are the largest on 
the south side. 

Camping tests character ; three days in the woods, 
and all of a man's or woman's individuality crops right 
out. Good as well as bad traits are apt to be brought 
out prominently, and to be well defined. In camp, 
whether the company be large or small, there are 
those thrown together who are of different tastes, tem- 
peraments and dispositions, and who also differ in poli- 
tics and religion. This close intimacy of tent life, 
extending over a period of many days, may be one of 
great unanimity and enjoyment, or of discord and full 
of petty annoyances. Pleasant and lasting friendships 
are often formed; so, too, old friends are often alienated. 

To thoroughly enjoy camp life, you must take every 
thing philosophically, even to a dinner of burned beans, 



46 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

seasoned with sand. Then camp cares will be light, 
camp critics will be silent, camp comforts will be en- 
hanced. Be true to yourself, bear yourself as you do 
at home, and do not imagine that because you throw off 
all care, you can throw off all restraint. 

Of all things avoid any manifestations of selfishness ; 
remember that your rights are no greater than the rights 
of others, and frequently there is much gained by yield- 
ing your point instead of carrying it by force. Be 
careful, also, how on the mere strength of a camp ac- 
quaintance, you swear eternal friendship to either man 
or woman. 

"Without the slightest desire to "preach," we wish to 
add another word, the result of observation and expe- 
rience — viz., keep the Sabbath. Let it be a day of 
rest from pleasure as well as work. Not only should 
this be done from a proper and gentlemanly regard for 
the views of others, but the pleasure and duties of camp 
life so occupy the time that a few hours' quiet rest and 
a short suspension from the ordinary pursuits of the 
camp will be found to be of real practical advantage in 
more ways than one. 

A quiet Sunday in the deep woods is a golden day 
to be remembered for many a year. All nature com- 
bines to assist the camper in directing his thoughts to 
the great Author of all the beauty that he beholds. 
"The heavens declare the glory of God : and the fir- 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 47 

mam en t sheweth his handiwork." The trees under 
which one reclines rear their heads heavenward, point- 
ing their spire-like minarets far up toward the blue 
vaulted roof. It inspires the very soul to worship in 
these unbuilt cathedrals with their wilderness of aisles 
and pillars, which for elegance and beauty have never 
been equalled by the architects of any age. And the 
music of the trees combined with the notes of the bird 
songsters, give a joy which is unknown in listening to 
a city choir. 



CHAPTEE V. 



KNOTS AND TIES. 



MUCH depends on knowing how to fasten quickly, 
simply, and thoroughly. We give a descrip- 
tion of some of the ties and knots most needed by the 
camper. They should be studied with a piece of small 
rope until thoroughly learned, so thoroughly that you 
can make them naturally, easily, and without stopping 
to think how they are to be made ; also, make them as 
they should be made, for often the slightest variation 
from the correct way is fatal to the security of your knot. 




FIG. 1. 
SIMPLE KNOT. 

A " simple knot," the foundation to all good knots, 
is made by turning the loose end A, fig. 1, around the 
body part B, and passing it through its own loop D. 
Draw tight. The bight D C E separates the two 

48 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 49 

straight parts, which are bound together by the loops 
D and E. 




FIG. 2. 
SLIP KNOT. 



A u slip knot" is made by tying a " simple knot" 
around the body part so as to make a third loop, G, 
Fig. 2, which may be easliy enlarged or diminished by 
slipping the body part through the " simple knot " part. 
It is a reliable knot in ordinary strains, if the end of the 
body part B is properly secured. It is used chiefly in 
small twines for securing soft packages, bundles of 
clothing, and similar articles. 




FIG. 
SINGLE LOOP KNOT. 

A " single loop knot" is the same as the "simple 
knot," except that the loose end A, Fig. 3, is not drawn 
entirely through its own loop D. 



50 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



Observe that both sides of the secondary loop H are 
on the same side of the primary loop D. It is useful 
as a " check knot" in many places, in connection with 
the " slip knot," to secure the running end B, Fig. 2. 




BOWLINE KNOT. 

A "bowline knot" is the same as a "single loop" 
with the body part B B, Fig. 5, inclosed by the second- 
ary loop H and the primary loop E being drawn 
well out. 

■ This is a choice knot ; so well guarded in all parts 
that it will never slip, even up to a breaking strain be- 
tween the primary loop E and the body part B, and is 
used mainly for fastening by throwing the loop E over 
a post or stake. It can be made in many ways, and is 
worthy the attention of any camper who has not already 
learned its use. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 51 

To make the "bowline knot," take the rope in your 
right hand, palm upward, the loose end projecting sev- 
eral inches beyond your right thumb. Take the body 
part (called the "standing part ") similarly in your 
left hand, palm upward ; the distance between the two 
hands determines the size of the loop E. With your right 
hand lay the loose end over the body part beyond the 
left hand ; with the left hand turn the body part over 
and around the loose end, so as to inclose it in a circu- 
lar loop (a, Fig. 4). Hold that loop open and pass 
the loose end A over the side, down under the body 
part from left to right, back over the side of the loop, 
and down through it on the left hand side of the part 
already there. When you have learned just how to do 
it, you will use it in preference to all other knots, 
wherever it is suitable. 

A "shank" is used to shorten a line. There are 
many kinds. Most of them will not endure a severe 
strain without slipping out. The one shown in Fig. 6 
is a "bowline shank," and is perfectly safe. 

Take up the slack of the rope and double it in two 
long bights. Turn each loose end once around the 
neck of the bight, under itself, and through the bight. 
If the rope is new and stiff, and subject only to light 
strains, it may be used without passing the ends 
through the bights. If the ends are inaccessible, a 
small loop may be passed through the bight, and a 



52 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



stick placed in the loop ; it will hold, if the stick is 
firm, under heavy strain. 

The ordinary "hard knot" is generally tied as in 
Fig. 7, which is wrong; tighten it, and four times out of 




live it will slip. This is what sailors call a "granny 
knot." 

JSTow make your knot as in Fig. 8. 




SQUARE KNOT, OR REEF KNOT. 

You will notice that in the last tie of this knot, Fig. 
8, the ends first cross each other each on its own side, 
and then turn down and under. This is called a 
"square knot," and will never slip. Draw tight, and 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



63 




PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



55 



notice the difference in shape between this and the 
granny knot. Always use it at home or in camp. 




FIG. 9. 



FISHERMAN S KNOT. 



A "fisherman's knot" is very convenient for tying the 
lines together, and is made as shown in the illustration 
(Fig. 9). After tying, draw your knots together, and 
cut off the surplus ends. 




FIG. 10. 
TIMBER HITCH. 



A "timber hitch " (Fig. 10) is very useful in towing, 
or dragging logs and boards. 

Pass the end of your rope round the timber, then 
pass it under and over the standing part, and take 
several turns around its own part. 



56 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 




FIG. 11. 
CLOVE HITCH. 




HAMMOCK HITCH. 



CHAPTEE YI. 



CAMP COOKING. 



THE following observations should be borne in 
mind : No two campers are likely to cook the same 
thing in exactly the same way. Each camper is positive 
that his or her way is the best. Whoever is cook for 
the time being must quietly pursue his own way with 
good-natured persistence. If you are not cook, let the 
cook alone, and attend to your own business. It is 
excessively annoying while cooking in the open air to 
have persons sitting around watching, suggesting and 
criticizing. The responsibility of getting up a dinner 
for a set of hungry people is in itself sufficient, without 
any additional perplexities. The cook should always 
have an abundance of fuel close at hand, both large 
and small sticks. The one who cooks should never be 
compelled to collect fire-wood. He must be able to 
give his whole undivided attention to'his special duty. 
There are several kinds of portable camp stoves, 
and a little ingenuity will enable a person to manu- 
facture one for himself from sheet iron. Many 



57 



58 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

who have a permanent camping ground find it very 
convenient to take out an old-fashioned kitchen wood 
stove. Ladies not being accustomed to cook by open 
fire, and on account of the heat and smoke, generally 
prefer a stove in camp. It is our opinion, however, 
that after a little experience, taking all things into con- 
sideration, an open fire for cooking will be found amply 
sufficient, especially if the three small fires described 
below are used. 

In regard Jo the state of the fire for cooking, some pre- 
fer the ordinary camp-fire, and others manifest a decided 
preference for a number of old stumps, which can be 
used as "back logs," and against which they rest their 
utensils. Again, some like a large fire, and others a 
low one. The French cook marvelous dinners over 
two or three little square holes, filled with burning 
charcoal, and this has suggested the following method, 
which experience has proved at times to be most ex- 
cellent. Have the main fire in a good state,, but not 
too large. Take from it a few live coals, and build 
three small fires near by, and close to each other. The 
main part of your dinner is prepared over these small 
fires. They are more easily kept at a uniform heat; 
you are much freer from heat and smoke ; there is not 
as much clanger of upsetting, and each dish having a 
distinct fire by itself, there is less confusion. This 
method will be found not only more convenient, but 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 59 

also has the advantage of cooking a greater number of 
dishes at the same time, and with little trouble. 

T. S. Updegraff suggests a fire-place made as follows: 
"Pile up a lot of stones, about a foot high and four 
feet long. Build a wing on each end two feet long. 
Cover the stones with sod and earth. Now place bars 
of iron across the top of this upon which to set your 
cooking utensils." 

Iron things should be immediately cleansed as soon 
as emptied of their contents. They are then hot and 
the food has not had time to dry and stick. If done at 
once it will scarcely take a minute, and you will find it 
not only a great saving of time, but the most disagree- 
able part of dish-washing will thus be gotten over. If 
you have not time to wash thoroughly, then scrape and 
fill them with water and let them stand. 

The rule for cleansing cooking utensils as soon as 
you are through with them applies almost equally well 
to all other articles connected with the table service. 
Avoid as far as possible all accumulation of dirty dishes 
and you will save much time. Never leave anything 
unwashed till you want to use it again. A rudimentary 
knowledge of cooking should be acquired at home. 
The following receipts, however, may be of some value 
to the camper : 



60 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

Milk Soup. — Boil two quarts of milk, with a little 
salt, a stick of cinnamon, and sugar to sweeten ; lay 
thin slices of toast in a dish, pour over a little milk to 
soak them, and keep them hot, taking care the milk 
does not burn. When the soup is ready to serve, beat 
up the yolks of five eggs, and add them to the milk. 
Stir it over the fire till it thickens ; then take it off lest 
it curdle, and pour it into the dish upon the toast. 

Yenison Soup. — Three pounds of venison, the in- 
ferior pieces will do ; one pound ham, or salt pork; one 
onion; one head of celery (or some celery salt); cut up 
the meat; chop the vegetables, and put on with just 
enough water to cover them, keeping the lid on the pot 
all the while, and stew slowly for one hour. Then acid 
two quarts of boiling water, a few blades of mace, and 
a little cayenne. Boil two hours longer, salt, and 
strain. Return the liquor to the pot ; stir in a table- 
spoonful of butter ; thicken with a tablespoonful of 
flour, wet into a smooth, thin paste with cold water ; 
add a tablespoonful of catsup and a tablespoonful of 
Worcestershire or other pungent sauce. — Marian Har- 
land. 

Rabbit Soup. — Cut up the rabbit, crack the bones, 
and prepare precisely as you would the venison soup, 
only put in three small onions instead of one, and a 
bunch of sweet herbs. — Marian Harland. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 61 

Bean Soup. — Soak a quart of beans over night in 
soft lukewarm water ; put them over the fire the next 
morning with one gallon of cold water, and about two 
pounds of salt pork. Boil slowly for three hours, 
keeping the pot well covered ; shred into it a head of 
celery, add pepper, simmer half an hour longer, strain 
through a colander, and serve. 

A good bean soup can be made from the remains of 
baked beans. Addbutter, and a little onion. Boil to 
a pulp, and strain. 

Potato Soup. — Peel and cut up four large potatoes, 
boil them, and when nearly done pour off the water, 
and add one quart of hot water. Boil two hours, or 
until the potatoes are thoroughly dissolved. Add fresh 
boiling water as it boils away. When done, strain, 
adding three-quarters of a cup of hot cream. Add salt 
and pepper. Bring to a boiling point, and serve. 

Fried Trout. — Clean, wash, and dry the fish, roll 
lightly in flour, and fry in butter, or butter and lard. 
Let the fat be hot, fry quickly to a delicate brown, and 
take up the instant they are done. Lay for an instant 
on a hot folded napkin, to absorb the grease. Serve 
without seasoning. — Marian Harland. 

Fried Pickerel.— The pickerel ranks next to trout 
among game fish, and should be fried in the same 



62 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

manner. Take great care not to fry slowly or too long, 
or the juices and sweetness will be wasted. 

Fried Perch. — Clean, wash and dry them; salt, and 
dredge with flour. Have ready a pan of hot lard or 
butter, put in as many fish as you can without crowding, 
and fry to a light brown. 

Fried Eels. — Skin them, cut them into four inch 
lengths, season with salt and pepper, roll them in flour 
or salted corn meal, and fry them in boiling lard. 

Bluefish. — This fish is broiled, fried or baked. 
Prepare for baking by stuffing, and score with a sharp 
knife to backbone, and insert thin slices of fat pickled 
pork. For broiling, split down the back. 

Fried Yenison Collops. — Cut nice. steaks. Have a 
gravy drawn from the bones and trimmings, thickened 
with butter rolled in flour. Strain it into a small stew- 
pan, boil, and add a little lemon, pepper and salt. 

Rabbits Stewed w t ith Onions. — Clean a pair of nice 
rabbits ; soak in cold salt water for an hour, to draw 
out the blood; put on in a large saucepan, with cold 
water enough to cover them, salt slightly, and stew 
until tender. Slice in another pot half a dozen onions, 
and boil in a very little water till thoroughly clone. 
Drain off the water, stir into the onions a gill of drawn 
butter, pepper to taste, and when it simmers, acid the 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 63 

juice of a lemon. Lay the rabbits in a hot dish, and 
pour over them the onion sauce. Let the dish stand in 
a warm place, closely covered, five minutes before serv- 
ing. — Common Sense in the Household. 

Rechauffe. — Cut slices of cold meat, put in a sauce- 
pan, and sprinkle over salt, pepper, and a handful of 
dry flour; cover with warm water, and acid a piece of 
butter. Heat to boiling. A spoonful of catsup or 
curry may be added if wished. 

Broiled Squlrrels. — Clean and soak to draw out the 
blood. Wipe dry, and broil over a hot, clear fire, 
turning often. When done, lay in a hot dish and 
anoint with melted butter, seasoned with pepper and 
salt. Use at least a teaspoonful for each squirrel, and 
let it lie between two hot dishes five minutes before 
serving. — Marian Harland. 

To BROIL YOUNG- CHICKENS AND PIGEONS. Pick, Wash 

and dry the fowl. Cut down the back and truss, mak- 
ing it very flat, pepper and salt it. Place the inside 
on a gridiron previously heated, and put at a greater 
distance from the fire than for a steak. Take the grid- 
iron off the fire occasionally, and rub the birds with 
butter, or butter liberally in dishing them. 

"Broiling is the most delicate manual office of the 
cook, and requires the greatest facility, and most unre- 
mitting vigilance. You may turn your back on the 



64 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

stewpan or the spit, but the gridiron can never be left 
with impunity." 

How to bake partridges. — Cut oft the legs and 
wings at the second joints. Raise the body feathers 
with the fingers, and inlay with plenty of salt and 
pepper, then stroke back the feathers to their original 
position. Next knead your clay in water to the con- 
sistency of stiff paste, and plaster all over the bird till 
it resembles a huge dumpling. Then rake out a hol- 
low in the hottest bed of coals, put in your dumplings, 
and cover carefully. When done break open carefully, 
and the birds appear divested of every particle of skin 
and feathers. The stomach and intestines will be 
shriveled to a hard ball, and by their retention will be 
found not to have impaired the flavor of the meat, but 
the rather to have imparted an additional relish. — 
From the Fishing Tourist. 

Reed birds. — {Henry Ward Beeeher^s receipt). — 
Cut sweet potatoes lengthwise ; scoop out of the 
center of each a place that will fit half the bird. Now 
put in the birds, after seasoning them with butter, 
pepper and salt, tying the two pieces of potato around 
each of them. Bake them. Serve them in the po- 
tatoes. Or they can be toasted or fried in boiling 
lard like other birds. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 65 

Pancakes. — Stir one or two cupfuls of cream or 
milk into two beaten eggs ; add flour or corn meal 
enough to make a thin batter. If the milk is sweet, 
add one teaspoonful of yeast powder ; if it is sour, add 
instead of the yeast powder half a teaspoonful of soda, 
dissolved in a little warm water. — Practical Cooking. 

Mother Johnson's pancakes (Adirondack^). — 
Enough flour is added to a quart of sour milk to make 
a rather thick batter. Let it stand over night, and in 
the morning add two well-beaten eggs with half a tea- 
spoonful of soda, dissolved in a tablespoonful of warm 
water ; bake at once. 

Rice cakes. — One cup of cold boiled rice ; one pint 
of flour ; one teaspoonful of salt ; two eggs beaten 
light ; milk sufficient to make a tolerably thick batter. 

Chocolate. — Into one pint of boiling milk and 
water (equal quantities) put two squares of chocolate 
scraped fine ; boil five minutes or more, stirring 
frequently. 

Mansfield Camp Biscuit. — Take one quart of "pre- 
pared flour" to one dozen biscuits. Mix with water 
into a dough, stirring with a spoon. When sufficiently 
stiff, turn it out on a board, and roll it with a long 
bottle, or can, to a half an inch in thickness. Cut out 
biscuits with a cup or the lid of a can. Sprinkle dry 
flour on the board, the bottle, and the biscuit cutter 



bb PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

before using, to keep the dough from sticking. Put 
enough lard in a spider to cover the bottom ; when 
hot, fry the biscuit brown in from five to ten minutes ; 
turn them two or three times till well cooked through. 
Serve hot. 

Georgia hoe cake. — Mix corn meal with lukewarm 
water to the consistency of a stiff dough ; make into 
small round cakes about an inch thick. Use a hot bed 
of coals raked from the fire, and bake in a heavy iron 
frying-pan. Put an old tin plate over the pan, and 
cover with live coals. Cook quick and serve hot. 
Grease the pan before using, or which will answer the 
same purpose, sprinkle the bottom with dry meal. If 
the dry meal scorches as soon as it touches the bottom 
the pan is too hot. 

Hoe cake. — Make and bake as above, except use 
scalding water or milk, and after mixing let it stand 
an hour before baking. 

Macaroni with cheese {London Cooking School) — 
Do not wash the macaroni ; throw it, broken into con- 
venient pieces, into boiling water which is well salted ; 
stir or shake it frequently, to prevent its adhering to the 
bottom of the stewpan. The moment it is quite tender 
(no longer), pour it into a colander, and shake off all 
the water. In the meantime melt a lump of butter the 
size of a large egg (two ounces), to half a pound of mac- 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 67 

aroni, in a cup, and grate a handful (four ounces) of 
cheese. When the macaroni is well drained place a 
little in the bottom of the dish in which it is to be 
served ; pour over it some of the melted butter, and 
sprinkle over that a little grated cheese. Continue 
alternate layers of the three ingredients until all the 
macaroni is used, leaving butter and cheese on the top. 
Then bake it in the dish three or four minutes, or long 
enough for the macaroni to soak the butter and cheese; 
then take it out; brown the top with a hot kitchen shovel, 
and it will be ready to serve. Serve immediately. It 
requires about twenty-five minutes to boil macaroni. 

Macaroni with Tomato Sauce. — Pat butter, size of 
an egg, into a saucepan ; when it is at the boiling point 
throw in an onion ( minced), two sprigs of parsley, 
chopped fine, and a little pepper. Let it cook five or 
eight minutes longer. Now pour in a coffee cup of 
tomatoes which have been stewed, and strained through 
a colander ; stir all together. Boil your macaroni in 
salt water until tender ; put in a layer of macaroni in 
a baking dish, pour over sauce, and again macaroni, 
and have sauce on top ; set in a moderate oven for 
three minutes. Serve immediately. 

Mashed Potatoes. — Pare, and boil with salt in the 
water, until tender — then turn off the water ; put in a 
small lump of butter and a little milk, and mash fine. 



68 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

Then serve. What is left from that meal you can make 
into potato balls, by mixing the yolk of an egg and a 
little flour with it, and then form into balls in a large 
spoon, with a knife. Fry them in good drippings until 
they are brown. 

Omelette. — Take six eggs. Beat the whites very 
stiff; beat yolks separately, add to them salt and pep- 
per, and a cup of milk, and then stir in the whites. 
Put a piece of butter in a frying-pan ; when it is hot, 
pour in the omelette. Cook about eight minutes, not 
letting it burn at the bottom. When done, lay a hot 
plate over the frying-pan, and turn the pan upside down, 
leaving the brown side of the omelette on top. All 
omelettes should be served instantly, or they will fall. 

Rice Omelette. — Dissolve in one teacup of milk, 
one teacup of cold boiled rice ; mix in one tablespoon- 
ful of batter, a little salt, and then stir in three well 
beaten eggs ; and bake as a plain omelette. — Miss 
Tyson in The Queen of the Kitchen. 

Meat Omelette. — Make an ordinary omelette ; 
when done, before removing from the pan, spread 
minced ham thickly over the surface. Slip a knife 
under one edge of the omelette, and double it over on 
to the upper side ; then slip the knife under the oppo- 
site edge, and double that over, letting the edges lap 
considerably, so as to entirely inclose the meat. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



69 




CHAPTEE YII. 



ROD AND LINE. 



IT is a curious fact that the first to publish a printed 
book on angling was a woman, Dame Juliana Ber- 
ners. " This lady wrote that curious production ' The 
Boke of St. Alban's, which was imprinted at Westmin- 
ster by Wynkin de Worde, the assistant and friend of 
Caxton.' This ' Boke ' was published originally without 
'The Treatyse of Fysshing,' which was added to it in 
1496. Dame Juliana, who was eminent for piety and 
learning, and whose name ought to be held in venera- 
tion by anglers in all ages, was prioress of the nunnery 
of St. Sopwell near St. Albans, Hertfordshire." The 
lady must have been a sturdy dame, for she was accus- 
tomed to use a rod at least fourteen feet long. It was 
composed of three pieces, the joints of which were 
bound together by long hoops of iron. The butt was 
" a fay re staff of a fadom and a halfe longe and arme 
grate," that is, the size of one's arm. " The whole 
making a weight, " says Fitzgibbon, "far too ponder- 
ous for the muscles of us modern males." 

71 



72 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

For the best fishing rod consult the authorities ; and 
after some experience you will find "the best rod is 
like the woman you live with, — you must find one that 
suits you best." 

The rod must possess toughness, elasticity and light- 
ness. It should also be adapted to its owner. We 
have elsewhere spoken of the stocking of a gun which 
ought to be in accordance with the general build and 
proportions of the shoulders, arms and neck of the 
sportsman using it. So the rod should be one that 
you can handle with ease and dexterity. For though 
the one weapon is vastly greater in weight than the 
other, yet for the one we use both hands and arms, 
while with the other, the weight and strain, falls princi- 
pally .upon the fingers and wrist of one hand. For 
rods consisting of one piece, the ordinary cane fishing 
pole is the best. They are, however, difficult to carry, 
and unless you use a jointed rod, suitable material for 
poles had better be cut at the camp. Jointed rods are 
generally made of different kinds of wood. Lance- 
wood has almost universally been used for tips and sec- 
ond pieces, while the butt is made of some hard but 
lighter wood, though recently bamboo is, by being 
carefully selected and finely wound with silk about the 
joints, considered quite as desirable, and in many 
instances preferred, on account of its lightness and 
elasticity, for tips and second joint, and also for the 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 73 

butt ; and taking all things into consideration, the 
jointed bamboo rod is, for general fishing, more desira- 
ble than a wood rod. 

The most perfect fly-rod is that known as the split 
bamboo. There are several makers of these rods whose 
methods of manufacture differ somewhat. A ten-foot 
bamboo rod weighs about ten ounces, and should be 
used with a reel weighing from 2 to 2J ounces. 

Select a jointed rod of medium length and weight. 
The lightest rod is used for trout fishing ; for black 
bass, a somewhat heavier and stiffer rod is used. Dr. 
J. A. Henshall, in his new and excellent "Book of the 
Black Bass," which contains much valuable and practi- 
cal advice to the angler, says: "As a long, withy, 
willowy rod is best for casting a fly, so a short, stifiish 
rod is best for casting a minnow." In selecting a rod, 
the character of the waters to be fished in, and the kind 
of game to be fished for, must also be taken into con- 
sideration. For general fishing in all kinds of waters, 
a good jointed wood rod is the best. Dr. Henshall 
describes a black bass rod made by himself, composed 
of white ash for the first joint and lance-wood for the 
second joint and tip, eight feet and three inches in 
length, and weighing but eight ounces, with which he 
has killed many a black bass from two to four pounds 
in weight, and pickerel weighing from five to fifteen 
pounds; though to perform this feat with an eight ounce 



74 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

rod would be, for a novice, about as difficult as to make 
a cast of fifty yards. 

General information in regard to fishing lines can be 
readily obtained. There are all kinds and varieties. 
Unless you are an expert, however, you had best com- 
mence with a limited supply. One or two medium- 
sized lines, and one good strong one, will probably 
answer your every purpose. For fly-fishing a twisted 
line is used. For trolling, and for casting with a min- 
now, a braided line is required, as twisted lines kink. 
For trout fishing, about one hundred feet of line is 
needed where there is plenty of room for play, and fifty 
feet of line is a good cast. The length of a trolling line 
should be from fifty to seventy-five yards. 

Always dry your lines when possible, as soon as you 
are through with them. Waterproof lines can be easily 
obtained, but the following receipt for making the com- 
mon fishing line water-proof may be of interest : 

" Take of boiled oil two parts, and gold size one part; 
shake together in a bottle, and the mixture is ready for 
use. Apply to the line, thoroughly dried with a piece 
of flannel ; expose to the air, and dry. After using 
the line two or three times it should have another coat, 
the application being repeated when necessary.' 

Gimp is a kind of twist with a metallic wire running 
through or around it, and is almost absolutely necessary 
for taking certain kinds of fish. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 75 

Silk-worm gut is the dried viscid fluid taken from the 
two lobes or sacs of the worm. Gut comes in short 
pieces about a foot in length, and of various qualities. 
Good gut is hard and can be tested by biting: "if it 
resists the teeth like wire, it is good." 

A snell or snood is a very short light line to which 
the hook is fastened. It is generally made of gut. In 
fishing for pickerel or pike, gimp must be used on 
account of the numerous sharp teeth of these fish. 

A leader is a short line generally composed of sev- 
eral lengths of gut tied together. The gut should be 
of different sizes, the largest for the rod end of the 
leader, and tapering gradually to the smallest size for 
the last length called the fly or hook end. The differ- 
ent lengths are tied either by a single or double water- 
knot, or by lapping the ends and tying a simple knot, 
as you would with a double string, cutting off the short 
ends close to the knot. The first two knots are slip- 
knots ; and a dropper is easily put on by tying a knot 
at the end of the snell, then inserting the snell between 
the two pieces of gut before drawing the ties together. 
This is very convenient for changing droppers. "With 
the last knot, the dropper is fastened by a half hitch 
just above the knot. 

The becket-hitch is a secure knot for fastening the 
leader to the line and to the snell. 

Gut should always be soaked before tying. Use 



76 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

warm water. Gut comes both white and colored. 
Many color their own gut by soaking it in green tea, 
indigo, etc. 

In regard to the color of snells and lines, remember 
that the fish is looking up through the water toward 
the sky, and therefore a colored gut, in clear water, 
which seems to you invisible, because you are. looking 
toward the bottom of the stream, is to the trout per- 
fectly plain and distinct. 

For fly-fishing, the hook should be attached to a snell, 
and this to a leader, to which is fastened the line. And 
for all fishing except trolling it is best to use a snell. 
Take a small supply of snells and leaders with you. If 
you get out of leaders, make new ones from white horse- 
hair. Let the leader lie in water a short time before 
casting. 

Swivels are of great use in casting with a minnow, 
and one or two should always be used in trolling. They 
keep the line from kinking, and should be of brass. 

In trolling, a spoon hook is used. There are many 
varieties, and one kind is about as good as another. 
Many prefer to have but one hook attached" to the 
spoon, others use three hooks. Frequently a small 
tuft of bright-colored feathers is added. This is not of 
much value ; the principal thing is to have the spoon 
bright and not too large. 

The ''patent adjustable sinker," having a spiral 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 77 

wire at each end, will be found very convenient, as it 
can be easily attached or detached from the line. 
• Do not, as a general thing, use a float. 

Reels are of two kinds, the multiplying reel and the 
click reel. The first is used for bait fishing, the sec^ 
ond for fly fishing. Some makers manufacture a combi- 
nation reel which can be adapted to either method, and 
for the general fisher this is the best. 

Casting is the proper method of letting the fly, or 
minnow, light upon the water. The reel should always 
be on the under side of the rod; and, for casting with a 
fly, below the hand, with a minnow, above the hand. 
With a fly, the first cast is made with a length of line 
about equal to that of j^our pole. The line is then 
gradually lengthened, a few feet at a time, with each 
subsequent cast, until you have as much out as you 
require. 

It is somewhat difficult to learn how to cast, and is to 
be acquired more from practice than any information 
which can be given in books. There are hardly any 
two that perform the feat exactly alike. To cast with 
a minnow, the bait should be near the tip of the rod. 
Hold the rod in the right hand, and well to your right 
with the arm extended, then by a sharp quick motion 
bring the arm directly across the chest, allowing the 
line to freely unreel, and before the motion of the bait 
has stopped, by a strong swift stroke bring the rod from 



78 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

left to right, leaving the right arm extended straight 
from the shoulder, and the tip of the rod pointing a 
little this side the spot where the minnow is to fall. 
This cast is made with the rod all of the time in front 
of you. 

To cast with a fly more length of line is required to 
commence with. Hold the rod in the right hand, and by 
a quick motion bring it up over the left shoulder. This 
will cause the fly to pass over your head to a considera- 
ble distance behind you, and just before it has reached 
its farthest point bring the rod forward with a strong, 
quick motion, leaving the arm extended, straight out, 
and the tip of the rod pointing directly toward the spot 
where the fly lights upon the water. 

Striking is done by a dexterous turn of the wrist. 
Frequently a fish, in seizing a fly or bait, does not hook 
himself, and drops it ; therefore to secure the fish, as 
soon as you feel the pull on the line, or the fish rises to 
the fly, you give a quick turn with the wrist (not a jerk), 
which causes the hook to fasten firmly. This is called 
striking. 

Use from one to three flies. They should be about 
three feet apart. When you have three flies, the one 
nearest to you is called the hand-fly, or stretcher, the 
one at the end the tail-fly, and the center one is called 
the dropper. The hand fly is also called a dropper. 

For fly fishing you require a good general assortment, 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 79 

unless you are familiar witii the district, and know just 
what to take. 

Mr. Charles W. Stevens recommends for the Maine 
lakes the following flies : 

1. Prouty, 5. Tom ah Joe, 

2. Fiery Brown, 6. Silver Doctor, 

3. Blue Jay, 7. Scarlet Ibis, 

4. Grizzly King. 8. Brown Hackle. 

For land-locked salmon, "The most killing flies are 
yellow May-fly, the silver-gray with black head, the 
orange-brown hackle with black head and gray, and 
the yellow May-fly with turkey wing." 

The following is Mr. "W. H. H. Murray's advice for 
the Adirondack district: "In respect to 'flies,' do not 
overload your hook. Hackles, red, black and brown, 
six each. Let the flies be made on hooks from Nos. 3 
to 1 Limerick size. All fancy flies discard. They are 
generally good for nothing, unless it be to show to your 
lady friends. In addition to the hackles, Canada fly 
(6) is an excellent fly ; green drake (6) ; reel ibis (6) ; 
small salmon flies (6), best of all. If in the fall of the 
year, take English blue jay (6) ; gray drake (6), good." 

"Wallace's Adirondacks " mentions as indispensa- 
ble, the scarlet ibis, abbey, dark cinnamon, grizzly 
king and coachman. The following are also recom- 
mended : The professor, Montreal white miller, March 
brown, and hackles of various colors. 



80 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

The hackles and duns of all colors, the English blue 
jay, the devil-fly, the alder, stone, May and sand flies, 
will generally be found good for all trout waters. 

Mr. Pennell advocates the use of the following three 
u typical " hackles, excluding all other kinds of flies. 

1. A dark green body; very dark green hackle for 
botli legs and whisk. 

2. A dark orange body ; fiery or cinnamon brown 
hackle for legs and whisk. 

3. A. golden-yellow body ; darkish golden olive 
hackle for legs and whisk. 

Dr. Henshall says: iC I have had more uniform suc- 
cess, day in and day out, with black, brown, red, yellow 
and grey hackles (palmers) than with winged flies." 

Bass are caught with both fly and bait, or by trolling. 
The flies for bass should be a little larger and brighter 
than those for trout. 

There are several kinds of perch that will rise to a 
fly, though as a general rule these fish take bait more 
readily. 

Along toward dusk, and on bright moonlight nights, 
the white miller is very effective. 

The kind of flies to be used varies greatly according 
to the season of the year, and the waters in which you 
fish. Often fish will rise on one day to a certain fly, 
and the next day you will be obliged to use a fly of an 
entirely different kind or color. The temperature of the 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 81 

air as compared to that of tlie water, whether the water 
be calm or ruffled by the wind, whether the day is 
bright or cloudy, and the time of fishing ; all have to be 
taken into consideration. Note what natural fly is upon 
the water, and select from your stock something as 
near like it as you have. Do not depend too much on 
this, for sometimes the fish will rise to that which has 
no resemblance to any winged thing on the face of the 
earth. Make up your stock mostly of plain and dark 
flies. 

Pickerel rarely rise to a fly, and are trolled for with 
a spoon, or fished for with live bait, generally minnow. 
A very good and lasting bait, however, will be found 
by cutting a piece of pork rind into the shape of a small 
fish. The hook for pickerel fishing should always be 
on wire or gimp, as this fish has very sharp teeth. 

There is much difference among the authorities as to 
whether one should fish up or down stream. The advo- 
cates of the former method argue with considerable 
force that, as the trout are headed up stream, you are 
less liable to be seen ; that when you strike from behind 
you are more liable to be successful, as the fish is mov- 
ing from you, and that by this method you keep the 
water clear the whole length of your route ; whereas, 
if you come down stream you roil the water by wading, 
or with your boat. Those who prefer fishing down 
stream claim, among other reasons, that the bait con- 



82 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

tinuallj floating down to your feet is a great annoyance, 
and that the nearer it comes to you the less your chances 
of a bite ; also that by Ashing up stream you can nei- 
ther keep bait stationary nor are you able to guide it ; 
and in rapid waters there is less noise, and the line is 
kept taut. 

In wading the middle of the stream push along 
quietly. "Fish may not hear, but they can, like deaf 
people, feel concussion." 

The science of baiting consists in knowing the habits 
of the fish you are after. Small fish require less bait 
than large ones. The common angle worm is always 
good for almost every kind of fish, and can often, if 
properly put on to the hook, be cast as successfully as 
the fly. 

Worms can be taken from our cities and kept for 
weeks, if treated rightly. A most tempting bait, 
especially for a trout when he will not rise to a fly, is 
to take two or three good worms and hook them half 
.an inch through the middle, leaving the ends dangling. 

All bait should, as a rule, be kept in motion. 

The author of "The Game Fish of the North " says : 
"Minnow is never properly baited unless it spins 
freely with every motion of the rod, and it must ever 
be kept moving. Of course the line must be armed 
with the swivel trace, and in baiting with dead min- 
nows a Limerick hook should be used, under any other 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 83 

circumstances never. The dead minnow is preferable 
for rapid water. In ponds the minnow should be 
alive." 

There are several ways of hooking minnows. Some 
pass the hook through the upper lip, some through 
both lips, and others place the hook in front of the 
dorsal fin, having the point covered by the skin, but 
not letting it penetrate the flesh. A recent corre- 
spondence in the "American Field," in relation to the 
proper way to hook minnows, has brought out a letter 
from an Iowa gentleman from which we quote : 
"Light tackle, composed of two hairs of gut, with a 
swivel in the center, and two 'No. 9 round bent hooks 
tied on the end back to back, makes up the most 
deadly tackle I have ever tried for still fishing with the 
live minnow ; but for trout fishing I would discard the 
live minnow, and substitute the Scotch minnow tackle 
for fishing with the dead minnow. I would make it 
as follows : Unite two good stout hairs of gut in the 
center by means of a swivel ; in knotting to the swivel 
tie down the ends of your gut with waxed silk. On 
one end make a loop for attaching to your line, on the 
other tie first one hook ; above that tie another, facing 
the opposite way from your first ; above your second 
tie a third facing the same way as your first, and above 
your third tie a fourth, facing the same way as your 
second ; the whole to be distributed on the gut in such 



84 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

a way that the fourth hook will be distant from the 
first about the length of a medium sized minnow's 
body. In putting on your minnow put your fourth 
hook through his head, the second hook in the back 
behind the fin, and the first one in the tail, in such a 
manner that it is drawn up and twisted a little on one 
side. A minnow put on in such a fashion will revolve 
rapidly on being propelled through the water with 
slight jerks, and any one who acquires the knack of 
making the dead minnow spin, will forever discard the 
live minnow pail, and all the miseries attendant on 
carrying it through a hilly or densely wooded country. 
A small bag fastened to a buttonhole of the coat, and 
filled with a little wet moss constitutes the Scotch trout 
fisher's minnow carrier, and all who may ever try it, 
and succeed in putting on their minnow right, will 
find it the most deadly line they ever used." 

Take with you a general but not too large assort- 
ment of fishing tackle. Your success in fishing is more 
likely to depend upon yourself than upon your tackle. 

Fishing is an art, and keen indeed are the delights 
of the experienced sportsman, who with superior skill 
and implements enters into contest with the game 
fish of our country. But often you may camp where 
the fishing is considered poor.; do not, however, 
despair of catching anything. Many a lake and pond 
which is considered fished out will readily furnish a 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 85 

supply for your camp, if you will only carefully ex- 
amine it, and work properly, and in many a small clear 
stream which seems almost too insignificant to notice, 
trout will rise to your fly, perhaps the first fly that has 
ever been cast in those waters. Often very little re- 
liance can be placed on the statements of those who 
reside in the neighborhood, who fish for only a few 
days in the year with poor tackle. 

There is a tendency of late to so highly extol the 
exploits of the fly fisher, that one is led to forget that 
excellent sport can be had in pan fishing, which is less 
expensive, and at the same time requires no little 
skill and judgment. The habits of the pan fish, and 
the varieties of bait to be used, afford a wide field for 
study. Besides, a large number of the pan fish are 
most excellent eating, and if properly cooked make 
fully as choice a dish as many of the game fish. 

In whatever waters you angle, take into considera- 
tion the habits of the fish you expect to take, what 
hours they feed, where their favorite haunts are, what 
kind of food they prefer, the conformation of the 
mouth, and the average size of the fish at that place. 
This is necessary, that you may know the size and 
kind of fly to be used, or the kind of bait necessary 
for your hook, and whether much or little is required. 

The temperature of the water and the places where 
food can be found, cause bass and many other varieties 



86 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

of fish to change their locality, sometimes even from 
day to day. 

As a rule, the morning and evening hours are the 
best. If you choose a morning hour you had better, 
if your fishing place be any great distance, carry a 
lunch with you, and take a late breakfast. A hastily 
prepared breakfast, and as hastily eaten, spoils many 
a good day ; besides, the chances are that you will 
almost always arrive at the fishing ground just a little 
too late. If you must have a warm breakfast first, then 
rise in time to have it cooked before daylight. To be 
at the right place at the right time is a matter of great 
importance. 



CHAPTEK VIII. 

HOW TO MAKE A FISH NET AND HAMMOCK. 

THE making of a net is a very simple matter. Yoir 
require only a needle, a mesh-stick and the mate- 
rial for a net. The needle is made of a narrow, flat 
piece of wood cut in the sha23e shown in Fig. 1. On 
this needle the thread or twine is placed, but care 
should be taken not to lay on so much as to make the 
needle bulky or difficult to pass through the meshes. 
A -new length of twine can easily be added. The mesh- 
stick may be round, square or flat, and from six inches 
to a foot in length. It must be borne in mind that the 
length of each mesh will be just twice the circumfer- 
ence of the mesh-stick. The length of the needle 
should be about the same as that of the mesh-stick. 

Having laid sufficient length of twine upon the nee- 
dle, unwind one or two feet and fasten the end, A, Fig. 
1, firmly to a hook or nail in the wall. Next make a 
loop (the size of the mesh-stick) just below the hook. 
The loop hangs to the right (see dotted line C, Fig. 1). 
You are now ready to commence the net. Hold the 
needle in the right hand, take the mesh-stick in the left, 

87 



88 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



and bring the twine down over the mesh-stick held 
just below the loop ; pass the needle around under the 
stick and up from below through the loop, then draw 
down until the bottom of the loop rests upon the top 




of the mesh-stick (see mesh 6, Fig. 1). Hold it in posi- 
tion with the left thumb while you throw the twine 
over the left thumb and up over its own standing part 
and across the loop ; then bring the needle clown under 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 89 

the loop, and up. between the loop and the standing 
part ; pull evenly to the right, then downward toward 
the right, in the direction of dotted line D, Fig. 1, 
letting the knot fasten just above the bottom of the 
loop. Slip out the mesh-stick and repeat the same 
operation, except that you use the mesh just made 
instead of the loop. Keep on making in this way oue 
mesh after another until you have a string of meshes as 
in Fig. 1, the length of which must be just twice the 
width of the net, exclusive of the loop, which is not a 
mesh, and therefore, must not be counted. Thus, if 
you have forty meshes, twenty meshes will measure 
the width of the net. Having completed the requisite 
number of meshes, unfasten from the hook and untie 
the loop, for it is not the right size for a mesh. 

Now open your meshes evenly and you will find you 
have two rows, one above the other, like the first two 
rows of Fig. 2, and of the width of the net. Run a 
short piece of twine through the top row of meshes 
(Nos. 2, 4, 6, etc.,' Fig. 2), and tie the ends together. 
This forms a temporary cord upon which your work 
hangs, and which is now thrown over the hook ; or if 
preferred, a long smooth stick can be passed through 
the first row of meshes and held in place by fastening 
with strings at each end. 

The first two rows of meshes being completed and 
the proper width thus obtained, the required length of 



90 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

the net is obtained by simply adding a sufficient num- 
ber of rows to the first two. Hang up the work by 
throwing the cord which holds it over the hook, letting 
the w T ork hang on the side which brings the last mesh 
of the second row to the left, and, commencing with the 
last mesh of the second row, knot through it, using the 
mesh-stick and needle just as before. The new mesh 
will be the first one on the third row. Knot through 
the next mesh of the second row in the same way, and 
so on till the new row is completed ; making as many 
meshes as your stick will conveniently hold before slip- 
ping them off. Turn the work and add the fourth row, 
and thus keep on till you have the required length. 
Always turn the work after completing a row so that in 
making the next one, you commence at the left and 
knot toward the right. A square is the best shape for 
an ordinary net. 

A hammock is made in the same way, with the addi- 
tion of guys at each end to the body or bed of the 
hammock. The guys (Fig. 2) are long meshes at each 
end, knotted, like the smaller meshes, through the first 
and last row of the hammock. The twine is wound a 
number of times around the stick before knotting, in 
order to give the required length. Be careful to wind 
evenly, and always, except for the first guy, the same 
number of times round the stick. Three or four feet is 
about the proper length for a guy. ■ 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



91 



FIG. 2. 




PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 93 

The hammock is now complete with the exception of 
the end ropes for hanging. These should be of good 
stout rope and tied very securely. They may be fas- 
tened directly to the guys, or rings with curved edges, 
called thimbles, can be used. Whether thimbles are 
used or not, the end of the guys should be bound or 
"served," as it is called, to prevent friction. Lay the 
guys at each end evenly together, then slip a small 
rope through them all, and pull hard so as to stretch 
each guy its' full length ; wind your rope evenly aror.nd 
the guys some four or five inches each way from the 
center, then bring the two sides of the guys together and 
bind them for an inch or two, thus making an "eye," 
through which passes your large rope for hanging. 

Before commencing a net or hammock, it is best to 
experiment with a piece of common cotton twine until 
you learn the stitch. The needle and mesh-stick for 
this purpose can be cut out of a piece of pasteboard. 




BECKET HITCH. 



94 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CA3IPING. 

In fastening two pieces of twine together use the 
weaver's knot or becket-hitch. 

A CANVAS HAMMOCK. 

To make a canvas hammock, take for the body a 
piece of light duck, six feet six inches long, and of the 
widest width that comes. Make a wide hem at each 
end, and in each hem work eyelet-holes about three 
inches apart. Next make loops at each end of the cloth, 
as follows : Run one end of your twine through the 
first eyelet-hole, and fasten the end to the body part by 
a bowline knot, a few inches from the eyelet, thus 
making a small loop in which runs your eyelet-hole. 
Then pass all your twine, except the last eight feet, 
through the next eyelet-hole, and inclose the second 
eyelet by a small loop like the first. You will now 
have a long piece of twine between the two eyelet-holes, 
which makes a long loop, which should be just four 
feet in length. Make in the same way, between the 
second and third eyelet-holes, another long loop of ex- 
actly the same length as the last ; and thus keep on to 
the last eyelet-hole. See that all of your loops, both 
large and small, are of exactly the same length, and cut 
off the surplus end of your twine. 

The hammock is now complete, with the exception of 
the ropes for hanging. These ropes should be very 
strong, and are fastened, one at each end of the ham- 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 95 

mock, by placing the loops at each end evenly together, 
and running the end of a rope through all the long 
loops at that end, and tying by a bowline knot, or, if 
you know how to make a short splice, that is the nicest 
way to attach the rope to itself, after running it through 
the loops. It would perhaps be better to work the cor- 
ner eyelets first, and then put in the others at equal 
distance from each other. If you make the hem at the 
ends wide enough, an extra seam just back of the eye- 
lets can be run. This w T ill form a long case, into 
which insert a stout stick or piece of cane-pole, to keep 
the hammock stretched open when hung. Sew up the 
ends tight, or the stick will slip through, owing to the 
weight of the body. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE HORSE-HAIR FISH LINE. 

ONE of the chief delights of the lover of out-of- 
door life is to be independent, and able to shift 
for himself. The real sportsman should know at least 
how every article he uses is made, if he cannot make 
it ; and there is no small satisfaction in being your 
own manufacturer, whenever it is practicable. As a 
pure horse-hair line is not easily to be found in the 
market, and possesses many advantages, we give here 
full directions for making one. There is sometimes 
found a combined silk and hair line, but these lines 
have not proven satisfactory. Either use a pure silk 
or a pure hair line. The horse-hair line is very light, 
strong and durable. It will not rot like the silk line. 
Frequently it will be found that it can be used effect- 
ually where other lines have failed to show a single 
nibble. If }'ou wish a line light in color, and almost 
transparent, use white hairs only, and with age the 
line will improve in tone. A dark line to resemble 
the fine roots and dead grasses always to be found in 
streams, should be made of reddish or brown hair, 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 97 

with a few black hairs interwoven. Remember it is a 
horse-hair line. Use hairs from the tail of a horse 
onlv, not from a mare. The latter are too weak and 
brittle. The size of a line depends upon the use it is 
to be put to, the rule is, one hair will sustain a pound 
of dead weight; but allowance must be made for sudden 
strains or jerks, and therefore extra hairs are required. 
A fine trout line can be made from nine hairs, and will 
be strong enough for all ordinary fishing. 

Before commencing your line, wash the hair in tepid 
water, using a little soap. This not only cleans the 
hair, but makes it softer and more pliable. Next dry 
thoroughly, and see that the hairs lie nicely together. 
Then fold them in a newspaper, leaving the large ends 
out a trifle, so as to be easily picked up. 

There are three ways of making a horse-hair line : 
1. Take three spools of ordinary size. Whittle off 
one end of each, leaving the end slightly tapering, but 
not so thin as to split too easily. Cut three round 
smooth pegs that fit nicely into the holes of the spools, 
leaving one end of the peg square, and larger than the 
round part, so as to form a head which can be easily 
taken hold of. The whole peg is about half an inch 
long, For a trout line take nine hairs, which may be 
of unequal length, but for a first experiment had better 
be pretty long. Lay the large or coarse ends evenly 
together, and tie a knot at the extreme end. Tie 



98 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

another knot half an inch below the first. Yon require 
a good steady purchase, and for this purpose attach 
your hair, between the two knots, to a hook or nail 
driven into a tree or your tent pole. Divide your 
hair into three strands, running each strand through 
one of the spools, so that the small end of the spool 
will be. toward the knots. Slip your spools up within 
a couple of inches of the second knot, and insert your 
pegs tightly at either end of the spool to keep the 
hairs in their place, and to prevent the spool from 
slipping. Hold the line, which remains attached to 
the hook, between the thumb and forefinger of the 
left hand. Take up one of the spools with the right 
hand, and twist the strand toward the right. Then 
lay it over the other strands, and hold it in position by 
placing it under the left thumb. Take another spool, 
twist in the same way, always to the right. Lay that 
strand over the other two, holding the two last in 
position with the thumb. Repeat the same thing with 
the last spool. 

You now have the three spools in position. To 
avoid confusion mark them 1, 2 and 3, commencing 
with the right hand spool. Take up the right hand 
spool, No. 1, letting the next one, No. 2. drop ; it 
will take care of itself. Give the strand two or three 
turns, and lay it over strand No. 3, which is still held 
in position between the left forefinger and thumb. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



99 




a, hook; b, first knot; c, second knot; d, main strand, or line; e, f, 
g, spools ISTos. 1 , 2, and 3 ; h, h, h, pegs ; i, added hair, with end pro- 
jecting a little above the forefinger. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 101 

Hold it there and pick up spool No. 2, letting No. 3 
drop, and giv£ it two or three twists and lay the strand 
over No. 1, holding it there. Pick up No. 3 and re- 
peat the same thing, and thus go on. In a few 
moments you will see the beginning of a neat round 
line, one of the most finished lines you ever handled, 
providing you have done your work right. The opera- 
tion is very simple. Twist always to the right, and 
lay over to the left. 

Loosen your pegs and slip down your spools as 
occasion requires, but do not allow too much distance 
between your spools and the line you are making. 
The shorter the distance the tighter and more compact 
your line will be. There is such a thing, however, as 
making it too compact and unyielding. Do not twist 
so much as to kink your strands. A little practice 
and }^our own judgment will enable you to know what 
is required. The line can be made of any length, and 
only careful inspection will show where the hairs join. 

To add a fresh hair you have merely to take out the 
peg and run the coarse or large end of the hair through 
the spool close along the strand, and about half an 
inch beyond the main strand or line. Insert the 
peg. Place the fresh hair under the line just where 
the three strands unite ; it is held in place by thus 
being between the line and the left forefinger. Now 
give the spool several turns, and go on as before. As 



102 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CA3IPING. 

a rule you need pay no attention to the end of the 
hair just running out. It will shortly work itself to 
one side. Always add the fresh hairs to the strand 
that is to be laid over next. To prevent confusion, 
and to preserve even thickness of line, do not add two 
or three hairs all at once, and for this reason the hairs 
should be of unequal length. When your line is com- 
pleted you will have a large number of short ends 
sticking out on all sides. Fasten your line to some- 
thing firm above you and suspend by it a slight weight 
so as to stretch the line a little, but not strain it. Take 
a sharp knife and neatly cut off the ends close to the 
line. You can cut on the thumb nail. Use the 
greatest of care to avoid injuring the line itself. 

The diagram upon the opposite page is sufficient to 
explain how this line is made: 

In the place of spools small sticks can be used. 
Take a green branch about as large around as the 
forefinger. Cut three pieces from it from five to six 
inches long. Split them half way up with your knife, 
and insert your hairs in the split. Work these sticks 
the same way you would the spools. 

2. A second method of making a line is to proceed 
exactly in the way last described, except that instead 
of laying the strands over each other, you simply make 
the ordinary three- strand plait. This will give you 
instead of a round line a flat line. It looks well, is 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 103 

serviceable, and can be made much quicker, but is by 
no means equal in strength or finish to the other. 

3. Another method is as follows : To make a line, 
say of eight hairs, pull out from your paper the re- 
quired number. See that they are of about equal 
length and have them all run the same way, that is 
the larger ends, or roots, all together. 

Place the large ends together, and tie a single knot 
at the extreme end of the strand. Now tie another 
knot half an inch lower down. Separate your eight 
hairs into two strands of four hairs each, and tie a knot 
at the end of each strand. Next cut from the neigh- 
boring bush (for we will suppose you are in camp wait- 
ing for the rain to stop) two small forked twigs. Trim 
them, and cut off from each, one of the branches about 
half an inch from the fork, and cut the other branch 
four or five inches above the fork. You now have two 
small hooks with the shank about five inches in length. 
Insert your hooks or twigs, one in each strand of your 
line, just under the knots at the" ends. You must have 
a weight at the other end, and you will probably find 
your pocket knife the most convenient article at hand. 
Open the large blade part way, fold a piece of paper 
over the edge to prevent its cutting the hair, and then 
close it down upon the line between the first and 
second knots. Pick up your twigs, one in each hand, 
and turn them slowly with the fingers, being careful 



104 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

that you turn them in opposite directions, say the 
right hand one from you, the left hand one toward you. 
Raise the arms so as to let the knife be suspended in 
the air, and its weight will keep the strands straight. 
In a moment the knife will commence to revolve, and 
your separate strands will twist together. By holding 
the twigs or hooks well apart, the line will be more 
compact. When finished take off your twigs and make 
another piece in the same way. Tie the pieces to- 
gether by a neat, strong knot, and thus keep on to any 
desired length. 

This is the most expeditious way of making a horse- 
hair line, but it is somewhat objectionable on account 
of the number of knots, which, especially with a reel, 
would be inconvenient. 

The following diagram explains the whole process. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



105 




CHAPTER X. 



THE GUN. 



IF yon are not going specially for hunting do not 
carry too many guns nor too much ammunition. 
Unless the hunting is exceedingly good, a couple of 
shot guns and a rifle will answer for quite a number. 
Ascertain, as far as possible, the kind and quantity of 
game in the district you expect to visit, and as most 
districts are greatly overrated, due allowance must be 
made for this. 

In purchasing a sporting arm, if you have not already 
had some experience in hunting, it is best to advise 
with some experienced friend. Many young men think 
that their first gun must be the latest and most expen- 
sive article in the market. This is a mistake. Buy 
something good but not the most expensive, and after 
you have become something of a sportsman, you will 
be better able to judge for yourself just what you want. 

Unless you expect to hunt for large game always, 
you will have far more use for a shot gun than for a 
rifle ; and remember, that whatever you buy, the dif- 



107 



108 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

ference of a few ounces in weight on a long day's tramp 
is a matter of considerable importance. 

Breech-loaders, on the whole, are preferable ; how- 
ever, do not despise the old-fashioned muzzle-loader. 
The author of "Gun, Rod and Saddle" says : "Car- 
tridges are troublesome and bulky to carry, and if the 
stock should run short, a considerable loss of time 
might elapse before a fresh supply could be obtained, 
but there is no place from a trading-post to a hamlet 
where the ordinary loose ammunition cannot be ob- 
tained." 

Mr. Joseph W. Long, the autho? of that admirable 
work, "American Wild Fowl Shooting," also says: 
"The chief superiority of the breech-loader lies in its 
capability of being so quickly reloaded when in the field 
or boat, and this alone is a sufficient advantage to com- 
pensate for many otherwise serious objections. This 
one requirement, however, being often wanting, the 
advantage is not conclusive. On pleasant days, when 
shooting from my boat, I usually made a practice of 
reloading as fast as possible between shots, carrying an 
ammunition box and loading tools with me for that 
purpose ; but this, for obvious reasons, I could not 
well do on stormy days, or when shooting away from 
my boat, and consequently I had to refill my shells at 
night — often when I should be sleeping — or else forego 
my morning shooting next day." 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 109 

For rapidity of firing there is no question that the 
breech-loader is the most desirable ; it is more easily 
loaded, is much safer than the muzzle-loader, and can 
now be had at reasonable prices. Taking all things 
into consideration it is best if you intend purchasing a 
sporting arm to select a breach-loader. In selecting 
do not overlook the new hammerless guns. 

In purchasing, attention should be paid to the stock- 
ing of the gun. As a rule, " a sportsman having short 
arms and a short neck requires a straight stocked gun, 
and vice versa." You should take into consideration 
the proportions of your figure, especially the arms, 
neck and shoulder. 

Accustom yourself to a certain amount of pressure in 
pulling the trigger, and as far as possible always retain 
the same. 

Keep your gun in good order ; the better care you 
give it, the better service it will do you. Guns used 
on salt water require special attention. Do n©t use- 
vegetable oil for the locks, nor any oil not free from 
salt. Before starting it is advisable to go to a gunsmith, 
and have your gun examined ; also have him show you 
how to take the lock to pieces, and how to put it 
together again. 

You cannot expect to shoot well unless you thor- 
oughly understand your gun. To do this, you should 
practice with a target until you know the range of 



110 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

your gun, the amount of ammunition required, whether 
it shoots high or low, etc. Practice carefully, take 
notes, and pay attention to every little detail. 

Do not use too much' shot. The more lead you use, 
the greater the friction and resistance to the force of 
the explosion. 

Mr. Long says : u As to the amount of shot used for 
duck shooting, from my own experience and observa- 
tion of the charges used by the most successful duck 
hunters of my acquaintance, I find the best propor- 
tions to be : For a 10-gauge, 4 to 5^- drams of powder, 
1 and 1 J. ounces shot ; for a -9-gauge, 4-J to 6 drams 
powder, 1 to If ounces shot ; for an 8-gauge, 5 to 7 
drams powder, 1-J- to 1-J- ounces shot." 

In cleaning a muzzle-loader be thorough, but expedi- 
tious. Wipe out the barrels as well as you can, then 
wind a piece of cloth around your cleaning rod so that 
it fits snugly in the barrel. Force the rod rapidly up 
and down with the hammers up. The air thus quickly 
drawn in and expelled, will soon dry the gun. Care 
should be taken to wrap your cloth so that no small 
pieces or threads will remain in the gun, as they are 
apt to ignite upon the first discharge, and, remaining 
in the barrel still burning, might, if the gun were im- 
mediately reloaded, cause a serious accident. 

With a double-barrelled gun do not accustom your- 
self to fire too much from one barrel. It is better for 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. Ill 

your gun and for yourself that you use them about 
equally. 

In aiming, where the object is near and stationary, 
your eye should run along the barrel, the sight on a 
line with the object; but if the object be some distance 
and moving, then due allowance must be made for dis- 
tance, direction, and rapidity of motion, and the aim 
must be sufficiently in advance and above the object, in 
order to kill. When the object is moving rapidly, cal- 
culation must be made as to the amount of space it will 
pass over during the time the lead is traveling toward 
the object, i. e. in order to cause two moving bodies 
to meet at a certain angle, you must know at what rate 
of speed each travels. The space gained between the 
moment of pulling the trigger and the arrival of the 
shot varies greatly with different birds. For instance, 
in shooting at a flying fowl, the following elements 
enter into a successful shot : The laws of flight, the 
direction the fowl is taking, the force and direction of 
the wind as affecting its flight, the distance of the fowl 
from you, the distance your gun will carry, the laws of 
gravitation and deflection as affecting your charge, 
judgment as to the point where the charge and fowl will 
meet, the correctness of your aim toward that point, 
the steady motion of your gun in case such motion is 
required, your ability to discharge your gun at the 



112 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

precise moment of correct aim, and the reliability of 
your gun for execution. 

The direction of the object from you, whether it be 
stationary, straight ahead and rising, directly above, 
or crossing to the right or left, will cause a difference 
in your aim. 

We quote again from "American Wild Fowl Shoot- 
ing. ' ' 

"Never bring up the gun in a direction opposite to 
the bird's flight, nor put it up in any way in front of 
the birds, waiting for them to come to it ; but wait 
until they get nearly to you, and then, bringing the 
gun up directly behind them, carry it forward quickly 
in the exact line of their flight, and pull the trigger 
without stopping the motion of the gun. The precise 
time of pulling and the amount of space which must 
be allowed in front of them and behind the line of aim, 
will, of course, vary greatly in accordance with the 
direction and apparent velocity of their flight, and the 
probable distance they may be from the shooter. All 
these conditions, and the allowance to be made, you 
must estimate almost instantly, whilst putting up the 
gun, and without musing or pondering over it. This, 
of course, can be learned only by practice ; no instruc- 
tion can convey the art. * * * To kill mallard 
when flying at their usual rate of speed, I myself 
should aim, I think, about two feet, or their length, in 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 113 

advance, if at a distance of thirty-five yards from them. 
This may help to give the tyro a proximate idea of it, 
though he may find in practice, for the reasons given 
above, his proper allowance to be either a little more 
or less. - * * Do not use shot of too large size, 
nor try to get too near, but give your charge a chance 
to spread. * * "* l n shooting over your cripples, 
which should be done as soon as possible, secure the 
liveliest one first, and try if you can get two or three 
in a line, to shoot them before they separate. The 
dead ones should be the last gathered." 

When firing into a flock or covey aim at the farthest 
birds first, 

Learn to fire at the moment of obtaining correct aim, 
and if it be at running or flying game, do not stop the 
motion of your gun when you pull the trigger. 

Always take aim, and aim at some one thing. It is 
frequently remarked that with certain shots no aim is 
required. This we think is a mistake. There is often 
on the part of good sportsmen an unconscious aim, 
combined with good judgment and a nicety of calcula- 
tion. Aim -is required, but the sights are only to 
assist in aiming, not to be used in every instance. 
Sometimes your aim will be directly over the top of 
your barrels, so as to cover the bird with them ; in 
such case the ends of your barrels are of as much or 
more assistance than the sight. 



114 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

It must be constantly borne in mind, that the charge 
is affected by the law of gravitation, and if the range 
be long, and the aim be directly toward the center, 
the charge will fall considerably below ; also the rules 
for aiming with the rifle are somewhat different from 
those of a shot gun. A little practice, and a few hints 
from an old sportsman, both in regard to your gun and 
rifle, will teach you far more than you can learn in 
books. 

In carrying a gun always keep the muzzle well 
eleyated. Never throw the stock behind the shoulder 
with the muzzle in front of you, nor hold the stock 
under the arm, with the muzzle pointing to the ground. 
By the first method, if you trip, the stock is thrown 
forward, the hammers striking the ground are very apt 
to cause a discharge of the gun ; numerous are the 
fatal accidents caused in this way. By the second 
method, if the muzzle of the gun becomes clogged with 
snow or clay, as is likely to happen in going up hill or 
in leaping a ditch, the gun is apt to burst at the next 
discharge. It is well known that you can burst a gun 
by discharging it with the muzzle held even a few 
inches under water. Therefore in taking a gun from 
another person, look and see that the muzzle is free 
and open. 

Carry a loaded gun always at half cock, never with 
the hammers down. 



CHAPTEK XI. 



BOATS AND BOATING. 



FOR the average camper, a small row-boat, capable 
of holding from two to three persons, and one 
with which a sail can be used, if required, is the best. 
In selecting a boat, consider safety and comfort, rather 
than lightness and speed. All canoes require great 
care and presence of mind in handling, and should not 
be used by children or inexperienced persons. Un- 
less it is desired to take an extended trip by water, or 
you are an experienced boatman, and prefer your own 
craft, it is not advisable to take any boat. Boats 
adapted to the district can be found at almost all 
camping grounds ; and where guides are used, it will 
generally be found that they get along better with the 
kind of boats to which they are accustomed. If you 
take a boat with you, see that it is adapted to the 
district which you intend to visit. A light twenty- 
pound canoe or canvas boat, which is suitable for going 
up a trout stream, or paddling down a river, may be 
the means of causing your death within thirty minutes 
after sailing into an inland lake, which is liable per- 



ns 



116 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

Laps at any moment to be tossed by a squall. In row- 
ing, paddling, or sailing, it must always be borne in 
mind that small lakes, especially in mountainous dis- 
tricts, are liable to sudden squalls. If you see a squall 
coming, make for shore if possible. If this cannot be 
done, lower sail and head the boat directly toward the 
wind, and keep her steady in that position. If your 
boat capsizes, do not get excited: presence of mind 
and perfect control are absolutely essential the first 
two minutes. Cling to your boat till you have time to 
collect your thoughts and determine what is the best 
course to pursue. 

In sailing never belay the sheet, nor lower sail in a 
strong wind without first heading the bow in the 
direction of the wind. 

In the matter of selecting a boat, it is almost impos- 
sible, and hardly within the compass of this book, to 
give advice, as everything depends upon the taste and 
requirements of the purchaser. The point to be con- 
sidered is, what do you expect of your boat ? There 
are many kinds of boats manufactured and possessing 
excellent qualities, but each kind is generally adapted 
to a special purpose. 

Canvas boats will not stand much sea, and cannot be 
used without injury in rivers filled with boulders and 
snags, but for smooth water they are very good, and 
have the advantage of being packed in a small com- 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 117 

pass. A canvas boat can easily be made by any one 
having a little skill. They are, however, as a rule, not 
much lighter than a good canoe, and, of course, if the 
canvas becomes wet through lack of proper water- 
proofing, considerable weight is added to the boat. 



CHAPTER XII, 



NIGHT SPEARING. 



THE outfit necessary for a night's spearing is a 
boat, a jack, spears, and good warm clothing, 
including rubber boots. Too great precaution can- 
not be taken against dampness and cold. 

A large flat-bottomed skow with square ends is the 
best boat for this purpose, as it draws but little water, 
and two persons can stand at the bow. 

The spear-head should be of steel, with from four to 
six tines, and the shank enlarged gradually, forming a 
socket for the insertion of the pole. The pole, or han- 
dle of the spear, must be joined neatly to the head to 
prevent needless noise when thrust into the water, and 
should be round, smooth, and about ten feet in length 
and one and three-eighths inches in diameter. 

The jack is an apparatus consisting of wire or bands 
of metal for holding such inflammable material as is used 
for a light. It is fastened to the bow of the boat, 
directly in the center, and should extend about three 
feet beyond the bow over the water. 



118 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 119 

The " basket-jack " can be used with pine knots, 
hickory bark, and pieces of pitch pine or well dried 
poplar. 

A very serviceable and inexpensive jack, made to 
burn kerosene, can be easily constructed in the follow- 
ing manner : A tank or reservoir of heavy tin or galvan- 
ized iron, which will hold about two quarts, is placed 
upon a strong pole, or rest, in the bow of the boat, 
and about four feet from the bottom. From the lower 
part of the reservoir extends an iron tube (gas pipe will 
answer) 3-J- feet in length by f inches in diameter. This 
tube has a stop-cock placed an inch or two from the 
reservoir. At the other end of the tube, which extends 
beyond the bow, two short pieces of hoop-iron are riv- 
eted at each end. These two hoops cross each other at 
right angles, and are bent so as to form a sort of hollow 
ball. This ball is for the purpose of holding and 
sustaining a ball of cotton or candle wicking, which is 
wound tightly round the end of the tube, which should 
be exactly in the center of the ball. If you have not 
sufficient wicking, old rags will do for a foundation. 
A piece of copper wire should be wound at intervals 
round the wicking to make it firmer. 

Turn on the oil and thoroughly saturate the ball with 
kerosene ; then it is ready to light. The supply of oil 
should be so regulated by the stop-cock as to keep the 
wicking well saturated but without dripping. 



120 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

A dark night is preferable for this sport. There 
must be no wind, as little or nothing can be accom- 
plished when there are ripples on the water. Have 
one man to propel the boat. Use a pole instead of 
oars and handle it as quietly as possible. Unless the 
water be very clear, do not go where it is over four or 
five feet deep. 

In spearing, allow for the laws of refraction. Also 
remember that the boat is in motion, and perhaps the 
fish. Your aim should be, not directly at, but a proper 
distance this side of, the fish. 

Pickerel are found in still water among pond lilies 
and other aquatic plants, and around old submerged 
stumps, logs and sticks. Red-horse, Buffalo and 
Suckers are found early in the evening in the warm 
shallow water along the edges of lakes and rivers, and 
in the little bayous and marshes ; but toward the latter 
part of the night they seek deeper water. Black Bass 
generally frequent deep water at night, and conse- 
quently few are taken in this way. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



121 




CHAPTEE XIII. 

ACCIDENTS AND AILMENTS. 

[For the following valuable information to the camper, the author 
is indebted to Dr. E. Andrews, of Chicago, whose reputation as a sur- 
geon is too widely known to need any added word of praise.] 

DISLOCATIONS. 

ONE of the most frequent dislocations is that of the 
shoulder. There are several ways of discovering 
this dislocation. One of the best signs is that of a hol- 
low immediately below the projecting point of the shoul- 
der blade. By pressing .the fingers against the sound 
shoulder you will notice that immediately below the 
top of the shoulder blade, where the arm joins the 
shoulder, it feels firm and hard ; now, if, on testing the 
injured shoulder, you find a depression or hollow at 
this spot, you may know the shoulder is dislocated 
or broken. Another way of determining is to take the 
hand of the injured arm, and clasp it over the top of 
the sound shoulder. The elbow will stick out straight 
forward, and if it takes great force to press the elbow 

123 



124 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

down, it is a sign that the shoulder is dislocated. To 
set the limb, lay the patient on the ground with the 
injured arm stretched out at right angles to his body. 
Take off your boots, and sit on the ground opposite 
the dislocated shoulder, and facing it. Take hold of 
the arm with both hands, and put one foot against the 
patient's side, and as close up under the arm as pos- 
sible. Place the ball, or base of the great toe of 
the other foot against the prominence of the shoul- 
der blade, but not too far down. Then pull slowly 
upon the arm, and push with the feet. Generally by 
steady pulling, and working the arm to and fro, it will 
slip into its place with a jerk. If necessary, some 
one can assist you in pulling. 

Dislocations of the elbow are less frequent, and more 
difficult to distinguish from a fracture. When they 
occur, most of them can be set by taking hold of the 
wrist, and making a tolerably strong pull in the direc- 
tion with the limb. If this does not restore the elbow 
to its proper position, it will be necessary to go to the 
nearest doctor. 

Dislocations of the hip and knee are difficult for 
those not familiar with them to understand, and the 
best way is for the patient to obtain professional assist- 
ance as soon as possible. 

Dislocations of the ankle are in four directions. 1. 
Where the foot is simply turned over in the joint, so 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 125 

that the sole is bent either inward or outward. Either 
of these dislocations is easily set by pulling the foot 
around into its place. 2. Where the foot either slips 
backward, leaving the heel sticking out behind, or slips 
forward, leaving the heel too short behind. These can 
be set by the patient lying on his back, and bending 
the limb so that the thigh points straight upward and 
the leg below the knee is horizontal. One person 
passes a towel under the knee, and another person 
takes hold of the foot. These two pull against each 
other. Let a third person take the foot in one hand, 
and the ankle in the other, and push the foot into its 
place. The dislocation of the foot backward is exceed- 
ingly prone to slip out again after being set. If it will 
not stay, the patient must start for home. 

FRACTURES. 

A fracture is a break. When a bone is broken, an 
examination will usually show that the limb is bent in 
some place where it should be straight and firm, and a 
grating sensation will be easily noticed by the hand of 
a person rubbing the broken surfaces of the bone to- 
gether. When a bone breaks at a joint, it is often dif- 
ficult to distinguish it from a dislocation, and care 
should be taken to ascertain which it is. A broken 
bone will generally unite in about six weeks. It is 
desirable to put the parts together as soon as possible, 



126 ' PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

but no great harm will happen if several days should 
elapse before it is done. To set a broken limb, you 
first put the bones in a proper position, and then apply 
immediately splints and bandages to hold them there. 
In most instances if you take hold of the hand or foot 
of the broken limb, and make a slow, steady, mode- 
rately firm pull, the bone will come into place of itself. 
The next thing is to hold the parts in position. 

If it be a broken leg, a good plan is to take a blanket 
and fold it lengthwise till the width is equal to the 
length of the limb. Lay the broken lim'b across the 
center of the folded blanket, still keeping the leg pulled 
pretty firmly. Let two persons station themselves one 
at each end of the blanket, and commence to roll the 
ends tightly toward the leg until each roll comes in con- 
tact with its own side of the limb extending from the 
foot to the hip. Then take strips of cloth and pass 
them around the whole at intervals of about six inches, 
binding the rolls snugly against the leg. This is called 
a blanket splint. Sometimes a piece of board is placed 
on the outer side of each roll. If caught away from 
where a blanket can be procured, make splints of long 
firm strips of bark cut from a basswood or other tree. 
The strips should be about the size of the broken leg, 
and should be lined with pieces of cloth before being 
bound on to each side of the limb. 

Where an arm is broken above the elbow, one of the 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 127 

best splints is to peel some strips of bark about the 
size of the broken limb. Bind the bark all around the 
arm and support it by a sling around the neck. If the 
arm be broken below the elbow, get two flat pieces of 
wood as wide as the hand, and long enough to go from 
the tips of the fingers to the elbow. Pad with old tow- 
els, pieces of torn cloth, moss, or leaves, and place one 
piece of wood on the front, and the other piece on the 
back of the forearm, and bandage snugly and put in a 
sling. 

Be careful in bandaging not to draw so tightly as to 
stop the circulation of the blood. 

After a fracture or dislocation, a person should aban- 
don, if possible, the trip, and go home, as the nature of 
the accident may not be thoroughly understood, and 
serious consequences might follow. 

WOUNDS. 

Gun-shot wounds are dangerous or not, according to 
their size and the nature of the parts injured. If a 
bone is broken by a ball, treat like other fractures with 
this difference, that the bandaging should be so ar- 
ranged as to allow the dressing of the wound without 
taking off the splints. 

Bullet wounds which do not fracture a bone or injure 
an important organ, are not very dangerous, and may 
be dressed with a simple wet cloth, bound on with a 



128 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

bandage, or handkerchief. It is desirable to extract 
the bullet, if possible, but if it cannot be found, no 
great anxiety need be felt. 

Bullet wounds rarely bleed much. Wounds made 
with sharp instruments bleed pretty freely at first, 
but if no large vessels are cut, the blood soon stops 
flowing. 

There are many ways of treating wo an els, and each 
wound has to be treated according to its special charac- 
ter. It would therefore be impossible to give direction 
in detail, but the following rules will be found service- 
able to the camper : 

1. Flesh wounds made' by a sharp instrument, which 
do not bleed much, and have not injured internal 
organs, should be bandaged carefully so as to keep the 
edges of the wound close together. This is the most 
favorable method for their healing. 

2. If a wound bleeds copiously, and the bleeding 
will not stop by firmly pressing on the wounded part, 
open the wound wide, wipe it out boldly, and see 
exactly what spot the blood comes from ; then press 
the fingers firmly upon that spot, which is most gener- 
ally to be found on the side next to the body. 

The flowing of blood can often be held back for hours 
in this way by the wounded party himself, or by some 
other person holding his finger on the right place. 
Often this will be sufficient in itself to stay the flowing 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 129 

of the blood after a little while, owing to clots of blood 
forming in the end of the vessel under the finger. 

3. If a man is cool and collected he can often pick 
up the artery or vein from which the blood flows, by 
seizing hold of it with a pair of tweezers, or the sharp 
point of a corkscrew, or a piece of bent wire. Pull the 
vessel out a little, and tie it with a strong thread or 
small string. To do this you must open the wound, 
and seek boldly for the cut vein or artery. 

4. If the bleeding is obstinate it can generally be 
stopped by filling the wound with a towel, or handker- 
chief, or a sponge wrapped in cloth, and firmly pressed 
in. You can hold the pad in place by a rather tight 
bandage, or with the hand. 

5. Bleeding in a wounded limb can almost always be 
stopped by tying a handkerchief loosely on the side of 
the wound next to the body; then put a stick under the 
handkerchief, and keep turning it around until the 
handkerchief is twisted very tightly. This will stop 
the blood entirely from flowing into the limb. This 
method is effectual, but it must be remembered it is 
only for temporary purposes, till assistance can be pro- 
cured. If persisted in over sixty minutes mortification 
of the limb is liable to set in. Often blood stopped in 
this way forms clots at the mouth of the wound, which 
will prevent a renewal of the bleeding when the ban- 
dage is untwisted. For this reason it is better to un- 



130 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

twist slowly, so as not to cause a too sudden rush of 
blood into the wound. 

Wounds opening the cavities of large joints, espe- 
cially the knee, are apt to give rise to a very dangerous 
inflammation. If such an accident occurs it is best to 
close the wound instantly, and keep it carefully and 
tightly shut. In this way the joint sometimes heals 
without trouble, but there is serious danger, and the 
camper who has opened a large joint should be carried 
to a surgeon as quickly as possible. 

For carrying wounded men, the best way is to take 
two light poles, about nine feet long, lash on a couple 
of cross sticks, about two feet long, and fasten to the 
poles some tent cloth, or a blanket. If the distance is 
great, and you cannot obtain a conveyance, you can use 
horses or mules, by taking longer and stronger poles, 
the ends of which you use for thills, and harness ahorse 
between them at each end, the patient lying in the 
blanket in the center. 

After the first three days of camp life, many suffer 
with a dull headache, and a vague dull oppression of 
the internal organs. This is a disturbance of the sys- 
tem, something akin to biliousness, and is probably 
owing to a change in one's habits of life. It will soon 
wear away of itself, but the whole trouble can be readily 
removed by taking five grains of blue pill, to be followed 
a few hours afterward by quinine, fifteen grains of 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 131 

which are to be taken in twenty-four hours, in doses ot 
three grains each. 

MALARIA. 

Avoid marshes and stagnant water as much as possi- 
ble during the hot months, as it may produce ague. 
Ague is marked first by a chill, which in about an hour 
gives way to a fever, followed by a sweat. These 
symptoms repeat themselves, the next, or second day 
after, at the same hour. 

For treatment, take in the course of twenty-four 
hours, fifteen grains of quinine, in five doses, of three 
grains each. (Pills will be the most convenient to 
carry). This will almost always stop the attack ; but 
as the ague has a tendency to return in a week or two, 
it is best to take three pills a day for two weeks as a 
preventive. 

DIARRHOEA. 

Cholera morous generally comes on in consequence 
of indiscretion in eating. The symptoms are a violent 
purging, accompanied with vomiting. For treatment 
the patient should wrap up well in blankets, and keep 
perfectly quiet, lying in a horizontal position. Take a 
teaspoonful of paregoric in a little water every hour as 
long as the vomiting continues ; when that ceases, if 
the diarrhoea continues, take a teaspoonful of paregoric 
every two hours. 



132 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

For ordinary diarrhoea, take a teaspoonful of pare- 
goric every two or three hours. 

Dysentery is a diarrhoea accompanied with discharges 
of blood and slime, with painful straining ; it can be 
treated in the same way as the ordinary diarrhoea. 

If from the effects of paregoric the patient becomes 
drowsy, lessen the dose, or omit it entirely. 

Essence of ginger is an excellent remedy for slight 
diarrhoea. Take a teaspoonful in a little water two or 
three times a day. A few drops of camphor on sugar, 
or in a little water, at intervals of half an hour, will 
frequently check the disease. 

All the above prescriptions are for adults. Children 
require smaller doses, according to their age and con- 
stitutions : judgment must be used. A general rule is, 
that a dose for a child is in the same proportion to an 
adult's dose, as the weight of the child compared to 
the weight of an adult. 

For all bowel complaints, it is advisable to wrap a 
piece of flannel across the bowels. If you do not have 
any flannel, take a summer under-wrapper and fold it 
up and place it over the bowels, using the sleeves to 
fasten behind, so as to keep it in place. 

For any poison taken internally, a powerful emetic 
should be given as soon as possible. A large teaspoon- 
ful of ground mustard stirred in water (a coffee cup 
full) to which may be added a teaspoonful of salt — 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 133 

makes a good emetic. The mustard should be fresh ; 
if not, then use a larger quantity. 

Where opiates have been used to excess, a cup of 
very strong cofTee should be given as an antidote, and 
the patient should be kept roused and active by slap- 
ping and walking him around till the effects of the opi- 
ate are overcome. 

DROWNING. 

In cases of drowning, first get air into the lungs as 
soon as possible. There is often much loss of time, re- 
sulting fatally, by not bearing this in mind. Generally 
there is no water in the lungs, but a little in the mouth, 
which can be allowed to run out ; that in the stomach 
is of no consequence. Hot bottles, rubbing, and other 
appliances are all useful in their way, but all these are 
secondary, and they cause loss of precious time. On 
the average a person will expire from loss of air in four 
minutes ; therefore, the first thing is to get air into the 
lungs. To accomplish this, lay the patient on his 
back, and alternately expand and depress the chest by 
taking hold of the arms between the wrist and the 
elbow, and extending the arms straight out and a little 
backward, sweeping them up beside the head, but not 
•so violently as to strain the person ; then depress the 
arms quickly, so that the elbows touch each other 
close down on, and depressing the chest. This motion 



134 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

should be repeated from seventeen to eighteen times a 
a minute, and care should be taken not to be too violent 
in your treatment. Although most drowned persons 
will be past help when five minutes have passed with- 
out any breathing, yet there are exceptional cases that 
hold life much longer. Therefore, if there is the least 
hope, the above efforts to introduce air should be in- 
stantly commenced, and continued a long time. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 



CAMP PHOTOGRAPHY. 



rj^HE rapid advance made in the art of photography 
in the last five years has placed within the reach 
of the camper, not only a most interesting source of 
amusement and recreation, but also a very practical 
and valuable aid in many ways. 

Cameras with their accompaniments can be had 
ranging in price all the way from ten to fifty dollars. 
But ten dollars buys a complete first-class apparatus 
for photographic field work (4x5 inch pictures), and 
views taken by yourself can be had all mounted on 
cardboard at a cost of from ten to fifteen cents a picture. 
The marvelous cheapness of this outfit is only equaled 
by its simplicity. 

With the exception of the tripod, the whole outfit goes 
in a wooden box 9Jx7-§-x7i inches; the tripod folds 
neatly together and when folded occupies 28 x 2-J X If 
inches; the box packed and the tripod weigh together 
between six and seven pounds. 

The above dimensions are for an outfit making a 
picture 4x5 inches, which is a favorite size for general 



136 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

miscellaneous work. The 5x8 plate gives a larger 
picture, and on some accounts is preferable. This 
equipment packed occupies, however, nearly twice the 
dimensions given above. 

Dry plates are used, thus obviating all necessity for 
taking chemicals with you. Moreover these dry plates, 
containing the views which you have taken, can be 
developed, and the photographs mounted upon reaching 
home by a photographer at the cost mentioned above, 
in case you do not wish to do that portion of the work 
yourself. But the whole process from the taking of 
the picture upon the ''dry plate " to its mounting upon 
the cardboard is now made so simple and easy that 
any young person can easily understand it with a little 
reading and a few experiments. Ladies will have no 
difficulty in using the instrument, and will find it a 
source of much enjoyment. 

To the artist who desires to retain a perfect outline of 
some view or to reproduce nature upon the spot, for 
future studies; to the naturalist too far from civilization 
to retain fresh specimens for preservation; to the 
geologist and to the botanist this little instrument will 
prove most valuable. And who of us, not being artists, 
have not wished for the power to reproduce for our 
own pleasure and enjoyment in after days, some camp 
scene by the river side or some secret nook or quiet 
brook. Modern science has made it possible for every- 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 137 

one to take accurate and permanent pictures. And 
certainly 'for the entertainment of those at home or for 
the purpose of refreshing remembrances of camp 
scenes and 'incidents, amateur photography is one of 
the camper's best friends. It is practical, useful in 
very many ways, convenient, and not expensive. 

There are a number of " outfits " furnished by 
different houses, and slightly varying in requisites, 
price, etc. For a camp outfit, the following articles 
are required: A camera, plate-holder, lens, carrying- 
case, and tripod, all of which are included for ten 
dollars, and in addition to these, must be added a focus- 
ing cloth, (price $1), a light-tight negative box, (price 
sixty -five cents), a ruby lantern, (price fifty cents), or 
dark bag, and gelatine dry plates, (price ninety-five 
cents per dozen, 4x5 inches). 




Cameras are of different sizes, adapted to receiving 
plates which run in the following order : 2-J X 3J, 4 X 5, 
5x8, 6^x8^, 8x10, 10x12, 11x14, 14x17 inches, 
and so on. 



138 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



Tripods are generally made to fold ; but those which 
have a sliding attachment are superior, though a little 
higher in price. 




Focusing cloths should be of very dark color or 
black, and about two by three feet in size. The ex- 
pense of purchasing one can be avoided by cutting up 
an old piece of velveteen or black muslin. They can 
be had of rubber, which will be found convenient in 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 139 

case of rain; and with a little care and ingenuity a 
dark room, or tent, can be made by arranging it over 
the tripod. 

A pocket magnifying glass will be found a useful aid 
in focusing; and a very small spirit level will assist in 
determining the correct position of the camera. 

The gelatine dry plate is extremely sensitive to white 
light, and must not be allowed to come in contact with 
it for a moment. Even moonlight will affect it. There- 
fore, in removing the plates from the packages to the 
plate-holder, or from the plate-holder to the negative 
box, great care should be exercised that this is done 
in a dark closet or room from which every ray of white 
light has been totally excluded. You work by the 
light of a lantern which gives a ruby or red light. If 
great care is used in closing your tent, you can make 
the requisite changes at night in that by the -light of 
the ruby lantern. 

The plates should be handled by touching the edges 
only, and to one accustomed to it the changing of the 
plates can be made, even in the daytime, in the field by 
the use of a dark bag. This bag should be sufficiently 
large to hold the negative box and plate holder, and 
allow freedom of movement. It is best made of thick 
material of red or orange color, and should have an 
elastic ribbon at the top. It is also a good plan to have 



140 PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 

a cloth between the arms when using the bag, so as to 
further prevent light from entering at the mouth. 

A double plate holder carries two plates, which 
allows the taking of two different views before changing 
plates. By purchasing an extra double plate holder 
one is prepared to take four pictures, which can be left 
in the holders till the return home. If however it is 
desired to take quite a number of views on the excur- 
sion, one is under the necessity of taking more holders, 
which on account of expense and inconvenience is ob- 
jectionable, or else of frequently changing the plates. 
It will therefore be well to make some experiments in 
changing plates, both with the bag and in the tent at 
night, before leaving home. Also, if possible, take 
one or two lessons from some practical photographer. 

In the making of photographs by the dry plate process, 
there are three divisions : first, producing the negative, 
the requisites for which have already been given ; sec- 
ond, the development of the negative ; third, the 
printing of the photograph. Unless one has plenty of 
time, and is especially desirous of doing his own work, 
the second and third divisions had best be left to a 
practical photographer, who, upon being furnished with 
the negatives, will supply photographs by the dozen at 
a comparatively small cost. 

For those who desire, however, to do everything 
themselves, the following will be sufficient material for 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 141 

furnishing over a hundred photographs four by five 
inches in size, viz : 

FOR DEVELOPING NEGATIVES. 

2 4x5 japanned pans, 1 lb. alum, 

1 4 oz. graduate, 1 bottle of varnish, 

1 set 5 in. japanned scales and 1 dozen 4x5 dry plates, 

weights, 1 focusing cloth, 

1 oz. bromide ammonium, 1 ruby lantern, 

1 lb. neutral oxalate potash, 1 oz. sulphuric acid, 

1 lb. protosulph. iron, 1 lb. hyposulph. soda. 
(Price $6 .50, packed in wooden case .) 

FOE PRINTING THE SAME. 

14x5 printing frame, 1 lb. hyposulph. soda, 

15x7 porcelain pan, deep, 2 dozen sheets 6% x 83^ cardboard 

1 43^ x 5% tray, with gilt form, 

8 dozen 4 x 5 sensitized albumen 1 1% pint jar parlor paste, 

paper, 1 ^ inch bristle brush. 

1 bottle No. 1, for toning, 1 glass form (for trimming prints), 

1 bottle No. 2, " " 1 Robinson's straight trimmer. 
1 2-ounce graduate. 

(Price, securely packed in paper box, about $5.) 

While we think amateur photography well worthy 
the attention of the camper, it will hardly be within 
the scope of this work to more than briefly touch upon 
the subject. 

The process as now used, is so simple that it can be 
easily mastered, yet instruction upon so technical a 
subject should be given by an expert. We therefore 
refer the reader to two excellent little manuals, the one 



142 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON CAMPING. 



by Henry Clay Price, entitled ' ' How to make pic- 
tures," a very comprehensive work ; the other " The 
Photographic Amateur," by J. T. Taylor. 




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OF ANYTHING MADE OF OR FINISHED WITH 

COTTON DUCK, 

AWNINGS, COVERS AND PAULINS 




OF ANY SIZE OR KIND FOR 



HUNTING OR BUSINESS. 



GILL1STETS A^D OTLM^GT TWIM. 

ALL KINDS OF NETTING, 

CAMP COTS, STOOLS AND CHAIKS. 

GEO. B. CARPENTER & CO., 
202 to 208 South Water Street, Chicago. 



THE 



Chicago k North-western R'y 

THE DIRECT ROUTE FROM 

CHICAGO OR MILWAUKEE 

TO THE NOTED 

CAMPING GROUNDS 

AND THE MANY 

POPULAR LAKE RESORTS 

OF THE 

NORTH AND NORTHWEST. 



THE SUMMER RESORTS OF 

WISCONSIN, MINNESOTA AND LAKE SUPERIOR 

Are all easily reached by this Line. 



Palatial Sleeping Cars, Unequalled Parlor Cars 

AND THE 

BEST DINING CARS. 



Low rates and the best facilities in every particular given to 
Tourists and Sportsmen. 

TICKET OFFICES: 
Chicago— 62 South Clark St. and Depot cor. Wells and Kinzie St. 
Milwaukee — 102 Wisconsin St. and Depot foot of Wisconsin St. 

W. H. Stennett, M. Htjghett, J. D. Layng, 

Gen'l Pass. Agt. Gen'l Manager. Gen 1 ! Supt. 



W49 









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WERT^- 
BOOKBINDINC 

GranrviTle, Pa. - 
luiv-Aug. 1987 









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